52 COFFEE 



History: — This variety of C. arabica L. was discovered in 1870 by 

 Crisogono Jose Fernandez near Maragogipe in the province of 

 Bahia, Brazil. On account of the agreeable flavor of its seeds, 

 vigorous growth, early maturity, and large yield, it has become a 

 popular variety cultivated by planters. The heavy nature of the 

 endocarp and the consistency of the pulp offer no hindrance for the 

 machines employed in the working process. It was introduced into 

 England from Brazil by Mr. Thomas Christy, F.L.S., in 1883, and 

 grown successfully in the Palm House of the Royal Botanic Gardens 

 at Kew. It was soon introduced from Brazil into the English 

 colonies. Maragogipe coflfee has been grown successfully in Ceylon, 

 Java, Jamaica, and Trinidad. In Ceylon and Java, however, it was 

 attacked by the coffee-leaf fungus known as Hemileia vastatrix, 

 which was first noted in 1869; and, by 1881, the Ceylon coffee- 

 industry was ruined and coffee-estates were abandoned. Maragogipe 

 coffee was first cultivated at the Botanic Gardens, Trinidad, in 1887. 

 In Jamaica, seeds were received in 1883, and the plants were dis- 

 tributed in the Blue Mountain district in 1884-5. ^^ Queensland, 

 in 1893, nearly 6,000 coffee-plants — many of them being Marago- 

 gipe from Brazil — were set out along the coast at Mackay, Bunda- 

 berg, Maryborough, Gympie, Maroochie, Mooloolah, Cleveland, 

 etc. A hybrid has been successful which was produced by fertilizing 

 true C. arabica L. with the pollen of the Maragogipe variety. The 

 production of Maragogipe coffee, however, is a comparatively small 

 figure as regards true C. arabica L. production. 



Use: — It is used largely by commercial concerns as a filler. 



Bibliography: — Editorial in Trop, Agric. 4 (1884) 494- — Kew Bull. 

 (1894) 164.— Raoul Cult. Cafeier in Man. Cult. Trop. de Raoul & 

 Sagot pt. I, 2 (1897) 89. — Froehner in Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 25 (1898) 

 263. — Lecomte Le Cafe (1899) 24. — Jumelle Les Cult. Col. PL Ali- 

 ment. I (1901) 352. — Chev. Explor. Bot. Afr. Occid. Frang. i (1920) 

 335. 



Economic and Cultural References: — Christy New Comm. PI. and 

 Drugs No. 7 (1884) 79. — Trans. Queensl. Acclim. Soc. June (1893) 

 56. — Fauchere Cult. Prat. Cafeier (1908) 4 t. 4, 6. — Hartwich Die 

 Menschlich. Genuszm. (1911) 277. See also citations under C. 

 arabica L. 



