Feb. 1, ISOO.J Supplement to the " Tropical AgrkulMnst,^^ 
■579 
M. Vetillart, of Paris, who has given many years 
of study to the subject. As the publication is in 
the Freuch, it is not readily available to English 
students. An abstract of the methods pursued by 
M. Vetillart appears, however, in Appendix B. in 
the valuable pnper "On the Identification of 
Fibres," which bus been specially prepared by 
Prof. William H. Seaman. 
The identification of fibres involves both 
chemical and microscopic study in many instances 
microscopic determination only being post^ible 
with ilie employment of the resources of the 
chemist, and the use of both system>', there- 
fore, is essential. As the work of Professor 
Seaman covers the ground most thoroughly, a 
further consideration of the subject here is 
unnecessary. 
PEABEERIES AND MALE COFFEE PLANTS. 
Dr. D. Thomatis, commenting ou a paragraph 
in the May number of this Journal (1899) on the 
subject of male coffee plants, writes : — 
"As our Government Botanist, Mr. F. M. Biiley, 
states, the coffee plant is neither dicecious nor 
moncRcious, but beyond doubt hermaphrodite, as 
clearly shown by the examination of its flower. 
Why should the abundance of peaherries fruit on a 
tree indicate that it is a male ? Is not peaberry 
fruit all the same ? And still more, a peaborry 
seed germinates as readily as a bi-lobed berry. 
The paragraph says that the cause of peaberry 
fruit is not definitely known. 1 am surprised at 
this statement, as it is very easy to find the cause, 
which is in the poverty of the soil and the dryness 
of the weather after the blossoming time, as 
through these two causes the young fruit could 
not be fully formed, developed, and nourished ; 
hence only one lobe grew, and the germ of the 
other became abortive and atrophied, and conse- 
quently the single lobe or grain grew in a round- 
ish form, and the fruit, being a single-grained 
berry, is richer in the essential aroma. If the 
ground be rich, season favourable, tree well 
trimmed and pruned, and blossoms thinned, very 
few peaberries will be produced.'' 
Kepcrtiug on the question raised in the paragraph 
and in the above letter, Mr. Howard Newport, 
Instructor in Coffee Culture, says :— 
In the accompanying letter on this subject, 
sent on to me for an expression of opinion, I 
fail to see where the question arises as to why 
the abundance of peaberries on a tree should 
indicate that it is a male. 
On referring to the article in the May issue of 
the departmental Journal quoted by the corres- 
pondent, it would seem that tlie first mention 
of the idea was in the form of a contradiction. 
It is later contradicted by the Colonial Botanist, 
and is in itself a contradiction, The amount of 
peaberry on a tree has nothing whatever to do 
with the sex of coffee. 
Peaberry is the result of thefnilure, for some rea- 
son or other, of its fellow-germ to fructify. There 
are naturally in the embryo berry two cells, and 
it would appear that under certain circumstances 
one of the cells, on coming in contact with the 
pollen, ■will fructify while the other will not. 
That it is so is clear on examination of tlie 
peaberry where the atrophied germ is discern- 
able, and its envelope of parchment skin, folded 
together, still in its place within the "pulp." 
The reason why the pistils should convey the 
pollen to one ovule and fail to fructify the other 
is the point that is not thoroughly understood yet, 
and not the state of the tree in which it is most 
liable to this condition, as your correspondent 
seems to think. 
The peaberry is a malformation, and generally 
takes place wlien the tree is weak or in a state of 
low vitality, and this condition may be brought 
about by unfavourable conditions of soil, climate 
or cultivation. A tree overbearing will produce 
a larger percentage of peaberry than one with a 
more moderate crop, even though conditions of 
soil and climate are as favourable as could be 
desired. 
The shape of the malformed growth is some- 
what as your correspondent states. It was 
thought at one time that it was the 
production of a special variety oi coffee-bush — 
at any rate, by those who had to do only with the 
cured article ; and there are many yet tliat still 
adhere to this fallacy, due chiefly to the fact of its 
being graded separately. 
Peaberry obtains its higher value in the market 
chiefly on account of the advantage of its shape in 
roasting. Being easier to roast uniformly, it is 
supposed to contain a greater percentage of caf- 
feine or aromatic propertie-^, but this is exceed- 
ingly doubtful. Its presence on the tree is of doubt- 
ful advantage also. A large percentage of " P.B. " 
grade — indicating, as it does, impaired vitality 
although its price is enhanced, is yet a long way 
short of the value of the double bean in the nor- 
mal growth. 
As a seed for propagation, " P.B." germinates 
readily, but repented experiments have been able 
to show no advantage in the growth, stamina, or 
bearing capabilities of its produciion over that of 
the bi-lobe ; nor does the plant raised from a pea- 
berry show any special tendency to produce pea- 
berries. 
" Male Trees—The coffee-tree is, as is well 
knovvn, hermaphrodite; it is also well known 
that in such cases generally the contact of pollen 
from another tree or blossom obtains better results 
than its own pollen. It may be, therefore, that 
the peaberry is due, to a certain extent, to 
continued self-fertilising of the plant or "in. 
breeding." 
It is supposed that the plant commonly called 
the "male" coffee-tree is due to this cause. 
However this may be among seedlings in a nur- 
sery, there is always found a small percentage of 
plants that appear with long narrow leaves, eyes 
closer together than ordinary, and a smaller and 
more stunted growth altogether. 
In cultivating these in the field, it is found they 
bear very little, although they blossom freely. (I 
have never yet met with one that did not bear at 
all.) The flower is somewhat smaller than that 
of the ordinary tree, but would structurally appear 
to be identical. It is supposed that the want of 
fertility is due to some malformation of the 
stigma or ovules, since the pollen is perfectly 
fertile when appliecl to other blossoms. 
