L 



PARCHMENT COFFEE FOR EXPORT. 



The Hon. the Colonial Secretary has directed that the following letters, forwarded by the Secretary 

 of State for the Colonies, shall be printed in this number of the Bulletin. Inquiries are bein^ made 

 in England and Ceylon as to the price of pulping machinery but good machines for settlers are made in 

 Jamaica for about £4. When settlers live in the neighbourhood of a mill, it will probably be better to 

 have the Ccflee finally prepared in Jamaica, but there are many Districts well suited for the growth of 

 Coftee at a considerable distance from any mill. It is in these Districts that settlers will benefit by being 

 able to send home their Coffee in parchment. It is hoped that the Agricultural Society will offer prizes 

 for Parchment Coffee, and for pulping machines, and thus encourage a wider cultivation. 



Kew Gardens to Colonial Office. 



Royal Gardens, Kew, 23rd April, 1888. 



Sib, 



In continuation of my letter of the 11th instant, I am deuired by Mr Thiselton Dyer to forward to you, 

 for the information of the Government of Trinidad, the enclosed copy of a letter received from Messrs. Lewis 

 & Peat, of Mincing Lane, on the subject of cleaning "parchment coffee". 



It would appear from this letter than an entirely new aspect has been given to the preparation of coffee 

 for the English market by the establishment of a factory, in London, to clean parchment coffee in a cheap and 

 expeditious manner 



3. It is proposed to treat this subject, as regards its bearing upon West Indian Coffee, in ike Kew Bulletin 

 for the month of May next. Owing to the falling-offof coffee production in the East Indies to the extent of a 

 million and a quarter cwts. annually, coffee cultivation in the West Indies should be largely augmented. The 

 difficulties hitherto encountered by small settlers in the preparation of coffee are likely to be entirely overcome 

 by the cleaning of parchment coffee in London, and this, in the opinion of Mr. Thiselton Dyer, cannot be too 

 widely known in every West Indian Island. I am, &c, 



(Signed) D. Mobris. 



Edward Wingfield, Esquire, Colonial Office, S.W. 



Messrs. Lewis & Peat to Royal Gardens, Kew. 



6 Mincing Lane, London E. C, 17th April, 1888. 



Dear Sir, 



In reply to your favor of the 16th instant, we beg to inform you that the system of importing coffee in the 

 parchment is largely on the increase, and some most satisfactory results have been attained. We have recently 

 sold large parcels from America which were '-milled" here; and against 70s. per cwt. obtained last 

 year for the same coffee cleaned on the plantation, we obtained 86s. per cwt., although prices all round were 

 lower. Experience shows that the husk or parchment protects the bean from atmospheric influences which 

 affect the colour, and in every instance wheie trials have been made the result has invariably been in favor of 

 cleaning here. The process is quite simple, and the cost is 2s. 6d. per cwt , including everything. The coffee 

 must be pulped and the cherry got rid cf on the plantation, but the most important matter is the drying. It is 

 absolutely necessary that the parchment must be peifectly dried and kept from moisture afterwards — insuffi- 

 cient drying is most damaging to after-reSults — and must have the greatest care. There is no advantage in 

 selling the coffee in parchment, as much better price.- are obtained by cleaning it here. The grower is more 

 than compensated for extra freight paid, loss in weight. &c , by the extra good out-turn of his coffee, if pro- 

 perly cleaned here. Any further information we can furnish we shall be most happy to give you. We enclose 

 a sample of parchment, which is worth 35s per cwt. in parchment and when cleaned KUs. per cwt. The pro- 

 bable loss in weight is about 15 or 1 6 percent. There would always be a market for coffee cleaned here, and 

 as much as the West India Islands could produce would easily find a market here. 



We remain, &c, 



D. Morris, Esquire. (Signed) Lewis & Peat. 



PRIZE FOR TOBACCO GROWN IN BRITISH COLONIES. 



This prize was announced in the March number (6") of the Bulletin. The following are the Forms 

 of Entry which must be filled up and forwarded to the Secretary of the London Chamber of Commerce. 

 Copies of these Forms will be supplied on application to the Director Public Gardens and Plantations, 

 Gordon Town P.O. 



FORM A. 



THE LONDON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (INCORPORATED). 

 BOTOLPH HOUSE, EASTCHEAP, E.C. 



TOBACCO TRADE SECTION. 



TOBACCO PRIZE COMPETITION. 

 FORM OF ENTRY. 



To the Secretary, London Chamber of Commerce : 



I desire to be entered as a competitor for the Prize of Fifty Guineas offered for the best specimen of Co- 

 lonial grown tobacco, and hereby undertake to warehouse at the W. India Docks and submit for competition 



