70 



COFFEE. 



five years tlio trees are productive, and will in general continue so for 

 upwards of twenty years. Its thick clusters of white flowers burst forth 

 in abundance at certain seasons, but the dark green foliage is rarely 

 seen unrelieved by them and by the fruit in all stages of maturity. 



The pulp of the cherry that surrounds the bean is sweet and agree- 

 able to the taste, and, like the leaves, partakes of the flavour of the berry. 



From its strong flavour Brazilian coffee is improved by age, perhaps 

 to a greater degree than any other coffee, and it is said, if kept for ten 

 or twelve years, would fully equal the best Mocha. 



As the flowering and fruiting take place at two periods of the year 

 there are, of necessity, two harvests. It is essentially necessary that, 

 during the drying, the berry does not come in contact with the earth, 

 which would much injure its quality, hence in large plantations paved 

 terraces are formed, or of some other materials. On smaller estates the 

 coffee is dried on bamboo frames or some other substitute. As the 

 paved or stuccoed drying terraces are expensive, it is better, when 

 possible, to employ pulping machines, although these require a fall of 

 water to work them. When the coffee is dry it has to be deprived 

 of its pulp and parchment. The machines employed for this purpose 

 have not much effect on the produce. It is simply a question of time 

 and trouble, more economical than industrial. In fact, nothing can 

 be imagined more simple and primitive than the appliances used in 

 some of the countries which furnish the coffee most esteemed in the 

 European markets. 



The berries of the ovoid form of the Mocha found in the markets 

 are derived from the older Brazilian coffee trees, and from the higher 

 branches of the young trees which are more exposed to the solar rays ; 

 these are separated by bolters. In Brazil coffee trees are reckoned to 

 yield, from theii* fifth to their twentieth year, an average of an arroba, 

 or 32 lbs. of clean coffee to each ten trees. From six to twelve years 

 the produce is commonly two and sometimes three arrobas to ten trees, 

 but from the sixteenth to the twentieth year the crops are irregular, 

 and below this average. The common yield of clean coffee is about one 

 arroba to three alqueires or bushels of the fresh fruit. An arroba of 

 clean coffee is obtained from one and a third arroba of dry coffee in the 

 hull, deprived of its pulp, but not of the parchment-like envelope. 

 Whilst the cost of clearing, planting, and bringing into bearing an 

 estate of 150 acres, with only 333 trees to the acre, is far more than 

 that of a similar plantation in Ceylon, the returns are much larger per 

 tree, averaging nearly 10 cwts. to the acre, and the trees bear much 

 longer. 



A recent traveller, publishing an account in Belgium of his impres- 

 sions during a tour through Brazil, thus speaks of coffee cultivation : 

 " A hectare (2 acres) of land will contain 913 trees, which on inferior 

 land will produce 674. kilogrammes (2^ lbs.) of coffee ; in soils of the 

 second class, 1384 kilos., and in those of a superior kind 2022 kilos. 

 An active labourer, working steadily, can keep in order two hectares 

 of coffee trees ; the annual result from this would be, 1145f. 80 in 

 the first case ; 2352f. 80 in the second ; and 3437f. 40 in the third, 

 reckoning the produce at the low price of 85 cent^the half kilo, or 



