Dec. 1, 1900.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
385 
COFFEE IN DISTANT LANDS : 
GlIATESIALA. ■ • i 
In a short notice issued by one of the principal 
London commission houses, in March of this year 
(19U0), we tind the following words : — 
" Tlie quality of coffee from Gaatemala up to 
date leaves much to be desired this year, and 
the great defect is frequently noticed that it 
has not been sufficiently dried, a fault which 
causes the fruit to suffer much both in colour 
and quality. Once more we advise our friends 
the planters to see that their coffee is perfectly 
dried, otherwise they expose themselves to inevit- 
able losses." 
Such remarks call for no comment, only reason- 
5ib]e carefulness is needed io avoid such criticism 
as this. 
The political disturbances of the autumn ot 
1897 were the cause of the planters losing a great 
part of their crops that year, owing to the Indians, 
who contract to come down for the picking 
season, remaining away through fear of being 
forcibly enlisted for the army. The most pro- 
ductive cotfrte district was also for some time 
in the hands of the revolutionists. These cucnm- 
stances combined with the serious fall m prices 
that took place in the niaiks of the world had 
as a result, that the small quantity shipped, 
which was mostly of an inferior quality hardly 
paid the shipping expenses, to sa> nothing of i.he 
workinw expenses of the plantations. As a rule, 
also the planters were left without any funds 
to keep their lands in good order free from 
weeds, which grows very rapidly here, greatly 
preiudice the bearing powers of the trees so that 
the foreign houses very reluctantly had again to 
provide funds to their customers in order that 
the following crop should not be lost. That crop 
(1898) attain turned out very small, the planters 
had been properly cared for, for the owners 
only bein" able to do the most necessary work 
on them, and being deeply in debt they began 
to get disheartened. The prices of the coffee 
continued to fall heavily, and coffee-planting 
seemed, in this country at least, to leave a 
serious loss on the year's working. 
As a consequence very little re-planting was 
done and as this was also omitted to a great 
extent during the preceding two years, an I old 
trees are continually going out of production, 
the next crop will also be likely to suffer some- 
what as regards quantity, and perhaps quality, 
as the young trees give the best beans. 
As reo-ards the crop of 1899, now being shipped, 
it is again found to be below the average, but 
all is not yet shipped and statistics are not to 
hand. . , , , 
The quality is also saul not to be as good as 
in former years. The weather last year was not 
iavourable' to the growing berries, and the pro- 
duct has suffered both in colour and m size. 
On the other hand the prices realised in Europe 
have been so far highly satisfactory, owing to 
an improvement in the position ot the cottee 
market in general and probably owing also to 
the falling-off in the shipments from Brazil. 
If this rise in prices continues, it is quite 
possible that many planters who appeared some 
months ago to be hopelessly involved may, by 
hard wosk and devotion to their duties, come 
well out of their financial difficulties. In order 
that they raiy so extricate themselves, however, 
it will be necessary not only that prices of coffee 
remain high, but also that intprnal tranquillity 
should reign in the country, so that labour can 
be obtainetl, and also that the tax on the export 
of coffee should not be raised again immediately, 
Eow that it appears that coffee-planting is once 
more a profitatle form the industry. 
The high rate of exchange has of course, 
immensely benefited planters as the expenses 
of production, shipping, etc.. are paid by them 
in the depreciated currency of the country. 
The cost of production varies considerably in 
every district, but, putting it roughly, including 
shipping and forwarding expenses at 20 dol. per 
quintal, and the net result after sale of the 
coffee at 40s. per quintal, it will be seen that 
if the exchange were at 100 per cent. as it 
was a few years ago, before the commencement 
of the present economic crisis, there would be 
no profit at all. Consequently the present momen- 
tary prosperity of tiie coffee-planters depends 
almost entirely on. the high rate of exchange, for 
it is certain that wages, eto., would not be 
correspondingly reduced should the natural 
currency again fall to par or to within 100 per 
cent. 
The planters who owe no money abroad, but 
who in times of prosperity borrowed money of 
the banks here and thus only have to pay in 
the depreciated currency are, of course, very 
favourably placed. For instance, local buyers 
of coffee, at one time a month or two ago, paid 
freely the price of 65 dol. a quintal of parchment 
coffee, and as it probably did not cost more 
than 1.5 dol. a quintal (actual cost of labour, 
without interest on debts or capital) the planter 
is in a position to credit his bankers a fair 
proportion of his debt including over-due in- 
terest, and retain a sufficient sum for working 
expenses during the year. Those (the great ma- 
jority) who borrowed gold in Europe are unfor- 
tunately not in such a happy position, for al- 
though they are also slightly better off for the 
rise in prices their profits when converted into 
goli do not leave them much with which to pay 
their debts and carry on the work of their 
plantations. 
The Director-General of Agriculture, a Depart- 
ment of Government only founded in the middle of 
the year, has issued an interesting report to the 
Minister of Public Works, in which he explains the 
efforts tlie new department are making to encourage 
and improve agriculture throughout the country. 
To tliis effect a circular was addressed to each de- 
y^artmental political chief calling on him to forward 
a yearly report of the agricultural and other works 
and statistics of his department. This being quite 
an innovation, the reports returned at the end of 
the past year leave something to be desired in the 
way of detail, especially with regard to agriculture, 
but, on the whole, a decided impetus seems to have 
been given to the great national industry, anil fuller 
and more trustworthy statistics are forthcoming 
than have ever before been obtainable. 
The Director-General says :— 
" The programme traced out for this department 
by the laws under which it is established is very 
wide, and if the circumstances of the Treasui y were 
other than they are something would already have 
been done to encourage the various branches ot in- 
dustry under its care, by means of spreading widely 
a- knowledge of the modern system of cultivation 
by the distribution of pamphlets and paper on agri- 
culture, seeds, piants, etc., all of which, however, 
would have necessitated outlay, which, for the 
present, Governi'^ent is unable to make. 
