A SUBSTITUTE FOR COFFEE. 



cxxxvii 



to coffee. Was discovered by Mr. Bonpland, naturalist, and hence 

 called Coffea Bonplandea, in honour of the discoverer. 



This leguminous plant grows in sandy or clayey soils which are not 

 too marshy ; it usually attains a height of one metre. The root is 

 straight, the stalk smooth, cylindrical, and adorned with large petioles, 

 furnished with stipules at the base, and having compound leaves. The 

 flowers are axillary and of a deep yellow colour. The calyx consists 

 of five sepals, the corolla of five petals. There are ten stamens, of 

 which four are sterile and six fertile, all having thick filaments. The 

 fruit is contained in a unilocular, bivalvate, and polyspermatous case. 

 The plant blooms from March to November, but suffers from cold 

 weather, for which reason it is difficult to cultivate it out of doors at 

 that season. It is well worth growing in a systematic manner for the 

 sake of the seeds, which when roasted yield a good coffee. An infusion 

 made from the leaves is supposed to be a remedy for toothache, and 

 the roots are a cure for fistula. The seeds produce a good coffee fit 

 for exportation when grown on a large scale. The flowers are also 

 useful for dyeing purposes ; they yield a yellow dye, which can be 

 used in a similar way to the " Verdolaga," or Portulaca oleracea. 



Among all the leguminous plants which we have described few 

 compare with this in respect to the quantity of seeds ; one will yield 

 more than 600 per annum ! 



Its importance is derived from the beverage yielded by the seeds, 

 and this should recommend it to the attention of agriculturists. 

 Hitherto it has remained very far from playing its proper part in the 

 economy of the world. 



To ensure the improvement in the quality and abundance of the 

 fruit it is necessary to grow this plant on scientific lines. An addi- 

 tional luxuriance will be the outcome of serious attention to the 

 nature of the soil, which should be sweet and of good substance. A 

 dry atmosphere is dangerous to this plant. 



