88 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



60626 to 60634— Continued. 



50632. CoFFEA EXCELSA Cheval. 



A species closely allied to Coffea Hberica, but a stronger grower and 

 apparently a better producer; the seeds, however, are smaller than that 

 of the true Liberian coffee. It is apparently a plant which has consider- 

 able powers of thriving under very adverse conditions. Nearly 9 pounds 

 • of berries to a tree have been gathered from this variety. It prefers low 



situations, but may be planted up to ^,000 feet above sea level. They 

 are large-leaved trees of vigorous growth. 



Below is a table showing the weight (in kilograms) of berries of various 

 coffees required to give 1 kilogram of marketable coffee: 



Coffea can^phora var. sankuruensis, 4.7; C. canephora, 3.8; C. robusta (Java), 

 3.8; C. excelsa, 5.5; C. liberica, 12; C. dewevrei, 8.3; C. aruwimie%.sis, 6.7. 

 C. exceUa is found in the ^vild state in central Africa at altitudes of 2,200 

 feet in a climate which is dry for six months of the year and has a rain- 

 fall of at least 40 inches during the remaining six months. The tem- 

 perature in summer is tropical, while in December and January it falls 

 below 10° C. (50° F.) at night. This type does Avell in equatorial regions, 

 has a satisfactory strength in caffein, and though somewhat bitter it has 

 an excellent flavor. In Tonking its growth has 'been remarkable and 

 entirely free from insect and fungoid pests. The bean is small and uni- 

 form in size, and it is hoped to sell it in competition with Arabian coffee 

 blended with Mocha. In appearance it is less luxiu-iant than C. liberica, 

 though it is hardier and earlier. This species is particularly robust in 

 Java. It commences to flower in the second year and yields a crop of berries 

 in the third year. 



The value of the coffee approaches that of the Liberian coffee and amounts 

 to about £20 per acre. The beans require particular care, since they are 

 inclosed within a thin skin which must be completely removed before the 

 highest prices can be obtained. (Adapted from Bulletin of the Department 

 of Agriculture, Trinidad and Tobago, vol. 17, p. 62.) 

 60633. Coffea sp. 



Received as Coffea icannirulcula, for which a place of publication has 

 not yet been found. 

 50634. Elaeis guineensis Jacq. Phoenicaceae. Oil palm. 



The trunk of the oil palm is from 15 to 25 meters in height and is crowned 

 with a cluster of 28 to 30 pinnate leaves. In the center of this crown is the 

 terminal bud, consisting of young leaves closely folded, the tissue of which 

 is white and tender. This is the palm-cabbage which the natives use largely 

 for food. 



Incisions are made in the terminal part of the trunk, and often the tree is 

 felled in order to prepare from the pith palm wine, a drink which is very much 

 enjoyed by the natives. In certain regions of the Ivory Coast they cultivate 

 this palm almost entirely for the wine and do not hesitate to sacrifice thou- 

 sands of trees every year to obtain the palm must. 



The tree does not begin to produce fruit until toward the fifth year. This 

 fruit is more or less like an elongated and flattened plum. It grows in bunches, 

 the weight of which varies, according to the variety and the country, between 

 5 and 12 or even 15 kilograms. The pericarp of the fruit is fleshy and fibrous 

 and very rich in fatty matter, and from it the palm oil is extracted. When 

 the pericarp is removed, the palm nut, which is very hard, remains, and this 

 contains the kernel from which palm-nut oil is extracted. 



