March 1, 1901.] THE. TROPICAL 
ACtRICDLTURIST. 
595 
in the outer skin and fruity portion of the cherry 
has infiltrated. This appextrance is undoubted 
evidence of the fruit having been picked when 
quite ripe (italics mine) ; and nearly all really 
good, cherry-dried coffee, which is so highly 
esteemed in France, is thus indelibly niarlted. 
The quality of the coffee is in no way injured, 
the stain being superfisiai and confined to the 
silver skin, which can easily be scraped off 
with a penknife, if roasted carefully, the aroma 
will be found excellent, which is another proof 
of maturity. If a quantity of ripe coffee fruit is 
heaped, or kept in a cistern, fennentatien will 
take place, and the red colouring of the skin 
and fruity portions will sink into the gummy 
substance surrounding the " parchment," pre- 
cisely in the same way that aniline ink pene- 
trates the gelatine slab used for copying letters. 
If prompt measures are not adopted, not only 
will the parchment be permanently discoloured, 
but the silver skin below will be stained and 
firmly gummed on to the seed. If observed in 
time, the remedy consists of getting the fruit 
pulped as soon as possible ; in closely watching 
the subsequent fermentation, and having the 
parchment thoroughly washed as soon as the 
gum has changed into a state in which it can 
be acted upon by water. In warm, rainy 
weather similar changes occur in very ripe 
cherry before it is picked from the trees. Some 
pulpers do not work satisfactorily and allow a 
large quantity of skins and half-pulped cherry 
to pass into the cistern along with the parcli- 
nient. li these are not properly separated, before 
fermentation takes place the seeds they contain 
will be more or less foxy. The ripest richest and 
most succulent fruit is always the first to suffer 
in this vvay, or from any delay occurring in 
" picking, pulping or preparation. " 
Last season, in his desire to enhance the 
quality of his coffee, a proprietor hereabouts 
allo^ved his coffee to get dead, or purple, ripe 
on the trees before picking it, and to his thun- 
dering surprise, it was reported on from the 
Coast as foxy. Now his coffee had never before 
been reported on as foxy. His surprise was even 
greater when he was told that the "foxiness" 
had probably been produced by his allowing the 
fruit to become over-ripe on the trees before 
gathering it. On the other hand, on a neigh- 
bouring estate, the coffee, which had previously 
to last season been nearly always pronounced 
foxy, was that season singularly free of " foxi- 
ness," This was attributed to a uniformity of 
shade over the place which seems to have been 
attained foi the first time in 1898-99 ; but the 
"trick" seems to have been done by washing 
the coffee twelve hours after pulping it, the 
pulp house having a position facing south-west, 
and the aspect of the estate being throughout 
nearly the same. 
The obvious precautions which suggest thehi- 
selves from the foregoing are — 
(1) To avoid, as far as possible, allowing 
the berries to become dead, or purple, ripe on 
the trees. They should be picked as uniformly 
red-ripe as possible. A spot of green on the out- 
side pulp will make no difference, l;he bean 
being nearly always matured before the pericarp 
has been fully coloiirea. 
(2) To pulp the coffee as soon after taking 
in as possible. The operations of pulping and 
measuring might go on simultaneously. Some 
power more expeditious than cattle-power ig 
desirable in this connection. 
(3) To pulp as cleanly as possible. If puI- 
pers are not working satisfactorily, this must be 
dore with the aid of a sieve, the skins and 
half-pulped cherry being passed through the 
pulpers a second time. 
(4) To wash the coffee as soon as the mu3il- 
age is ready to be acted on by water. This can 
be determined by experiment. For the rest, 
trust in Providence. I trust that this small 
contribution on the question will promote a 
health> discussion which will lead to the eluci- 
dation of a subject which there is no gainsay- 
ing is of great importance to the plantin"' in- 
dustry. -H. G. R. ^ 
COFFEE SUBSTITUTE. 
Read the following letter from Dr. G. Watt, 
Reporter on Economic Products to the Govern- 
ment of India, dated Calcutta, 14th June, 1900, 
in answer to our query about the value and 
analysis of Spermacoce hispida seeds sent: — 
" I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt 
of your letter No. 809, dated the"^ 25th May, 
1900. In reply I beg to say the question was 
referred to Mr. D. Hooper, f.i.c. f.c.s., who 
reports " that the seeds of Spermacoce hispida 
have the same shape as coffee berries, but are 
brown in colour and much smaller, Jxl-12 inch; 
The seeds were powdered and analysed with the 
following results: — They coatained a thick 
greenish oil dissolved by ether ; a quantity of 
astringent matter giving a greenish colour 'with 
iron saltf; a bitter principle soluble in alcohol 
having the re-actions of an alkaloid ; a colouring 
matter giving an orange solution with alkalis; 
mucilaginous and albuminous matter soluble in 
water. The moisture of the seeds amounted to 
10'75 per cent, and the ash 67 per cent. These 
seeds contain similar constituents to Coffee and 
afford a substance of similar odour when loasted 
over a fire. They appear to have nourishing and 
stimulating properties different to other seeds 
offered as substitutes for Coffee. Their commer- 
cial use depends upon the abundance of the 
plant and the labour of collecting the seeds." 
Madras Agri- Horticultural Society. 
BANANA DISEASE. 
The disease, which has been so prominent a 
feature among the banana family in Trir.idad, 
appeared ac the St. Clair Station experiment 
during of the first year of cultivation, and many 
plants were killed out by it. This disease is 
caused by a species of fungi known as Maras- 
mus seiniustus, which attacks' the older leaves 
eventually causing the whole stem and fruit to 
decay. From the fact of some plants growing 
in soil whicli was of a rich character not succumb- 
ing to the disease and developing their fruit in 
perfecti m it was inferred that the growth and 
spread of this disease was in a great measure 
due to the want of proper manurial constituents 
in the soil, in which they were growing. 
To test this view of the case, a parcel of land 
was especially prepared by heavy manuiing, and 
suckers from diseased roots were planted therein. 
The result has been a growth as good a coaid 
be wished, and although the fungus can 1 -.ieu 
to be present, it is not able to figlit agaiui. and 
overcome the "vegetative vigour" of the plants 
