16 SHADE IN COFFEE CULTURE. 



ment lying piled up all over the barbecues which had accumulated before we could 

 get a day's sunshine. Some of my neighbors had larger quantities still, and those 

 of us who had no appliances for artificial drying had an anxious time of it. The 

 only resource was to keep constantly turning over the wet coffee, night and day, to 

 prevent fermentation and germination as far as possible; but in spite of all exertions, 

 an alarming proportion of the beans had begun to throw out pedicles, indicating the 

 commencement of the germinating process — much the same way as old potatoes will 

 do in a damp cellar. Of course we all thought the coffee was ruined, but to our sur- 

 prise and gratification it seemed to be thought rather better than usual by the bro- 

 kers of Mincing Lane, judging by the prices realized. 



The narrative is given by the author mentioned as showing the neces- 

 sity of facilities for quick drying by means of artificial heat or at 

 least the prevention of fermentation by constant aeration. It is not 

 stated that the appearance of the crop unwillingly experimented with 

 was good, and the probability that it was at least off color seems very 

 strong. That the price was increased, notwithstanding the supposed 

 deterioration, might have aroused a suspicion that some compensating 

 improvement had taken place, but the incident passed without arousing 

 curiosity or experimental interest. It is also remarkable that the 

 famed superiority of the so-called " jackal coffee," consisting of seeds 

 which have passed through the alimentary canal of wild animals, should 

 not have led anybody to experiment upon the effects of temperature 

 in the curing of coffee. Such facts as the above, though quite insuffi- 

 cient to serve as the basis of advice regarding methods of curing, at 

 least warrant the suspicion that much coffee is badly fermented or 

 cured; they indicate further that in solving the problem of producing 

 high-grade coffee the effects of both shade and fermentation must be 

 scientifically understood. The effects of shade on quality can not be 

 learned from small samples subjected to special treatment in curing, a 

 mistake which has probably vitiated many experiments and compara- 

 tive tests of quality. 



THE INDIRECT EFFECTS OF SHADE. 



However untenable may be the position of those who argue that 

 shade is directly beneficial to the coffee tree, the possibility is not 

 excluded that shade in coffee plantations may often be indirectly ben- 

 eficial by conserving soil moisture, keeping down the growth of 

 weeds and grass, preventing erosion, protecting the coffee trees from 

 the violence of the wind, and in other ways. These claims will now 

 be examined. 



PROTECTION AGAINST DROUGHT. 



Like many tropical plants which in the wild state grow entangled 

 with dense masses of other vegetation which shut out the sun and 

 wind from the soil and keep it always moist, coffee is very susceptible 

 to drought. Particularly is this the case while the plants are still too 



