September ij 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
i59 
ration of turnips and hay; in summer they feed on 
the scanty pasturages of the mountains. 
It is estimated that the annual cost of keeping 
a sheep in France is 8 fr., often the fleece does 
not realize this sum. The Rambouillet breed of 
sheep is the most numerous variety of Merino in 
France; its wool though long is not so fine as that 
from the Naz race ; it is a more generous feeder, 
hence puts up more flesh. Indeed there are not a 
few who aim to give a Southdown form to the 
Rambouillet. Lambs of the latter have a mean live- 
weight, varying from 55 to 77 lb. An adult ram 
will weigh -209 lb. and the unwashed fleece 11 lb. 
The fleece of a Rambouillet — owing to greater weight — 
will fetch one-third more mouey than the Naz. 
Combing wool is the staple sought to be attained. 
The Rambouillets do not suffer more from fluke 
and foot rot than other breeds. 
* 
COFFEE. 
By Henry Pasteub. 
The total production of coffee in the world is 
roughly estimated at about 000,000 tons, to 650,000 
tons, of which Brazil alone produces between 340,000 
and 380,000 tons, and Java 60,000 tons to 90,000 
tons, the proportion of British-grown coffee being 
only about 35,000 tons, of which India contributes 
15,000 to 18,000 tons, Ceylon 10,000 to 12,000 tons, 
and Jamaica 4000 to 5000. Although numerically 
very small, the productions of our Colonies and of 
India occupy the front rank, owing to their excellence. 
Nowhere is finer coffee grown than in India and 
Jamaica, and its value, as well as that of Ceylon, 
is firmly established above that of all other kinds, 
even of Mocha, which at one time stood above all 
others. 
A considerable amount of work and preparation has 
to be expended on coffee, from the moment it is 
picked from tho trees until it is in a fit state to be 
sent to market. The berries, as may be seen from 
the numerous samples exhibited at South Kensington, 
arc enveloped in an outer, coarse, thick, fleshy 
substance, the cherry, and an inner, loose envelope 
of thiu, hard skin, called parchment, from its re- 
semblance to that substance. When allowed to grow 
to complete maturity on the trees, as iu the case 
of Mocha, tho cherry withers and dries, and is then 
easily removed by crushing or poundiug, the berry 
inside having by that time become of a pale greenish 
or yellowish colour. The usual course, however is to 
pick the cherry before complete maturity when it is 
of a deep red or cherry colour, the horry inside being 
then found to be of a fine dark-green or bluish-green, 
which it is the endeavour of the planter to pre serve 
as carefully as possible, the value of bis coffee; depend- 
ing chiefly on the depth and brightness of the colour. 
On gardens and plantations cultivated by Europeans, 
tho cherry is removed us quickly as po-sible after being 
picked, being put through pulpers, and undergoing a 
very careful and delicate process ot mashing and wash- 
ing, until tho berries are left witli their parchment 
envelope perfectly clean. In many cases, however, there 
aro neither appliances, nor time or labour, to put the 
fresh-g/itherod fruit through this process, and under 
a tropical sen the cherry dries quickly, and has then 
to he pounded, to the great detriment of the co'our, 
as well as the quality of the bean; hence the difference 
between unwashed or ordinary pale, mid ipashed or col- 
oured or plantation coffee, the taste ot the inishrj 
colfee being, as a rule, much more delicate, and free 
from the earthiness anil common rough flavour of the 
Unwashed. A large portiwn of the crops from Brazil, 
Java, St. Domingo, to a less extent Central America 
and Guatemala, in fact fully three-fourths of the 
world's production, aro prepared as unwashed or pale 
colfee ; whilst nearly the whole of the Ceylon crop, 
three-fourths of tin; Indian, and one-fourth to one-toiid 
of the Java, are prepared as unshed or green .coffee. 
The clean parchment has to be dried with the utmost 
care, and taken to the curing mills ou or near the 
estate, or more generally at the poit of shipment; it 
/'s then put through the peelers, which break the parch- 
ment, and remove as much as possible off the thiu silver- 
skin adherent to tho bean itself ; then through sizers, 
which divide the berries into the various sizes, and 
after being hand-picked by a number of women and 
children, who remove the defective, broken, black, or 
light beans, the coffee is ready for packing in bags or 
casks for shipment. All those various operations require 
to be carried out with the utmost care and nicety, the 
slightest neglect or mistake in any one of them being 
liable to injure the quality to the extent of 5, 10, or 
even 20 per cent. 
The above remarks, to some extent, explain the 
reasons for the superiority of British-grown coffee over 
that of most other countries, and also the great variety 
existing iu the appearance, quality, and value of the 
samples exhibited by our various colonies and depend- 
encies. 
India. — iDdia now stands first and foremost amongst 
British possessions, both for the quantity and quality of 
its production. The samples prepared by the Indian 
Coffee Planters' Committee have been carefully selected 
iu Loudon from the earlier arrivals of the crop of 
1885-6, and represent the produce of British plantations 
iu the four chief districts of Mysore, Coorg, Neilgherry 
and AVynaad, as well as the less important one of 
Travancore. The exhibits from the three first-named 
districts are remarkable for their high average excel- 
lence, and for the presence of many of the points 
which, in the eyes of connoisseurs, constitute the near- 
est approach to perfection, viz. , size, colour, smooth- 
ness, plumpness, and weight of the berries. These coffees 
have always been, and are likely to continue, iu high 
favour with the buyers for home consumption. Next 
to th9m come the AVynaad exhibits, which, if they 
lack some of the weight and fine shape of the others, 
are nearly equal in size, colour, and smoothness, and 
find favour with home as well as export buyers. Tra- 
vancore is a comparatively new district where plant- 
ations are generally at a lower elevation ; it has suffered 
much of late years from repeated attacks of leaf-disease 
which has destroyed many estates and weakened the 
trees on most others, and the result is seen in a small 
crop, deficient iu colour, size and quality. Leaf -disease 
has likewise been raging in the other districts of Indii, 
to the serious detriment of crops, both in extent and 
quality; fortunately, the severity of its attacks has 
greatly diminished during the past few years, and it has 
almost disappeared in many parts of the country. 
It has, however, in many places affected the vitality 
and shaken the strength ot the trees, so that they 
have been less able to resist periods of drought or of 
heavy monsouii weather, and small and irregular crops 
have beeu the consequence. It would seem, however, 
as if plantations were gradually recovering their 
former strength, and with good cultivation and manuring 
aud fair seasons India may hope to maintain its 
position as our largest aud best field for the production 
of fine coffee. A hopeful sign lor the future may be 
gathered from the superior average quality of the crop 
of 1885-6 over that of the two or three previous oues. 
Among the samples of Wynaad coffee, those from 
the Eva E-tate deserve special attention, one-half of 
tnat crop having been dispatched in parchment, to be 
peeled and sized in London. Tho experiment has 
proved quite successful, the coffee represented by the 
sizes 1st, 2nd and Ponb. rry, being lully equil in colour 
aud appeal auce to the corresponding sizes prepared in 
India. The whole was sold at the same public auction, 
the Loudon cured realising a rather better price than 
the other half. Similar aud more recent experiments, 
made with some shipments from Costa Rica, Guatemala, 
and New Grenada, have shown startling results, the 
portion prepared iu London having realised from 10s. 
to lis. per cwt. more than that cured in Ceutral 
America. These experiments would tend to show that 
tin- pau hment preserves iu a remarkable degree the 
colour and the quality of the berry against the incidents 
or accidents of a laud and sea transport. In the case 
of tho Costa Rica and New Grenada shipments cured 
in Lomlou, the berries seemed fuller and of better 
shape aud weight than the others, as if t which is 
by no means improbable) tho parchmout, left for 
