EUCOFFEA HOOK. F. 39 



Adjuda, which is in the center of the city. Molke and Joachim 

 Bruneo, the then Bishop of Rio de Janeiro, distributed the seeds 

 produced in the monastery garden to neighboring religious institu- 

 tions and to the laity. From this simple beginning, the millions 

 of coffee-trees under cultivation in Brazil had their origin. The date 

 of the introduction of C. arabica L. into India is obscure. Although 

 probably introduced into India early in the eighteenth century, it 

 is certain that coffee-plants reached there early in the nineteenth 

 century. The first systematic plantation was started near Chik- 

 muglur by Mr. Cannon in 1830. 



Hemileia vastatrix which devastated the coffee-industry in Cey- 

 lon, appeared in i'869 ; and by 1887 this fungal disease of the leaves 

 had ruined the coffee-plantations. The coffee-plantations of Ceylon, 

 India, Java, Sumatra, Celebes, and the Philippine Islands have been 

 attacked by Hemileia vastatrix. The disease is watched by coffee- 

 growers, and every possible means of control is used to check its 

 spread and to prevent its introduction into other coffee-growing 

 countries. 



C. arabica L. still produces the great bulk of the world's coffee- 

 supply. Its seeds are the basis of the coffee-beverage the world over. 

 Many varieties have arisen. The ones of economic importance are 

 those listed on pages 48-50 under the Key to the Varieties. 



C. arabica L. is an excellent example of the effect of human agency 

 upon the economic history of a plant. This species was transferred 

 from its original home and became a staple crop in widely separated 

 regions of the tropics. Its introduction has met with such satisfac- 

 tory results in Brazil that that country is now the chief source of 

 the coffee of commerce. 



Uses: — C. arabica L. is the chief source of the coffee-beverage. 

 The beverage is ohtained from the roasted and ground seeds which 

 are prepared by infusion, decoction or boiling, or filtration by use 

 of a percolator. 



Coffee-Leaf: — In Sumatra, the coffee-leaves have been used in the 

 preparation of a beverage at least since 1850. The leaves, as well 

 as the seeds, contain caffeine. The natives prefer an infusion of 

 the leaves to that of the seeds. The leaves are never rolled as are 

 tea leaves. They are roasted over a fire of dry bamboo or other 

 wood which produces very little smoke. They become a buff color 



