COFFEE. 



65 



bet^veen eacli and one between each plant, resembliiig in appear- 

 ance hedges of the laurel bay. The weeds are cnt down, and the 

 earth sliglitlr turned with a lioe,. three or four times in the year ; 

 and the plant is not allowed to increase above the height of six 

 feet, for the facility of gathering the fruit. The coiiee tree here 

 begins to flower in the months of Z\Iarch and April, and the berry 

 ripens in the plains of San Jose in the months of i^ovember and 

 December, strongly resembling a wild cherry in form and appear- 

 ance, being covered with a similar sweet pulp. 



As soon as the crimson color assumed by the ripe fruit indi- 

 cates the time for cropping, numbers of men, women, and chil- 

 dren are sent to gather the berry, which is piled in large heaps, 

 to soften the pulp, for forty-eight hours, and then placed in tanks, 

 through which a stream of water passes, when it is continually 

 stirred, to free it from the outer pulp ; after which it is spread out 

 on a platform, with which every coffee estate is furnished, to dry 

 in the sun ; but there still exists an inner husli, which, when per- 

 fectly dry, is, in the smaller estates, removed by treadmg the berry 

 under the feet of oxen ; and in the larger, by water-mills, which 

 bruise tlie berry slightly to break the husk, and afterwards sepa- 

 rate it by fanners. The entire cost of producing a quintal 

 (lOi 1-5 lbs. British) of coffee, including the keeping of the estate 

 in order, cleaning and fanning the plants, and gathering and pre- 

 paring the berries, is, at the present rate of wages (two rials, or 

 about a shilling per day), calculated at two and a half dollars 

 (equal to ten shillings) ; but the laborers are now hardly suf- 

 ficient for working all the estates which are planted, so that the 

 price may probably rise a little, though the present rate of pay- 

 ment enables the natives to live much better than has been their 

 wont. 



The coffee tree bears flowers only the second year, and its 

 blossoms last only 24 hours. The returns of the third year are 

 very abundant ; at an average, each plant yielding a poimd and a- 

 half or two pounds of coffee. 



The price of coffee in San Jose during the months of Eebruary, 

 March and A.})ril, after which none can generally be met with, was, 

 in 1846, about 5 dollars cash per quintal, the duty (which is col- 

 lected for the repairs of the read) one rial more, so that the sne- 

 culator makes at least ten rials, or about 20 per cent., by pur- 

 chasing and sending the coffee to the port, on his outlay and 

 charges ; but it is often bartered for manufactured goods, and is 

 also purchased before-hand, half being paid in imports and half 

 in cash to the grower. 



The largest coffee estates of Costa Tlica are possessed by the 

 family of Montealegre and Don Juan Moira. The principal of 

 these I have examined. They appear to be very carefully and 

 judiciously managed, possessing good mills for cleaning and husking 

 the coffee, worked by water power ; and annually producing 500 

 tons. The entire produce of the year 1836, amounted to about 

 3,000 tons, and the crop of 1847 exceeded 4.000 tons, near which 



