U THE TROPICAL 
MEXICAN COFFEE. 
[Some one-we tliink an ex-Ceylon Plaiitei — 
lias Bent us a eupy of the Mcximii llciuld 
of AprU 14tli witli the foUowiiit; letter, iiiakiii}{ his 
own notes whicii we append. — Ed. r.A.'\ 
KFFUSION OF l'OS,SriU,V .V DlSAl'l'OINTKI) 
]'I-ANTK1!. 
To tlicEdiUjv of the Ht. Luah Qlijlic litmocmt 
St. Loui.s, Mo., April 7. — The t-iiltivation of 
coffee in Mexico continues to attract the atten- 
tion of speculative promoters and unwary St. 
Louis cai)italii<ts. The beautiful white bIo>^:!Ouis 
of the cofToe plant, I do l)(?lieve, wouhl actually 
turn yellow, and its bri^jht red cherries hln.'^ii 
still more scarlet, iiad tlie tree the .'^ense of 
hearing and could listen to all the liarefaceil lies 
absolutely ignorant writers arc telling ns about 
its capabilities. Men really who have done little 
more than see a cofl'ee tree are frtim time to 
time being ([uoted as high authorities, and, still 
more suri)rising, their theoretical melliods subs- 
tantially indorsed.* 
Codfee culture in Mexico, on an average, may, 
perhaps, be a fair investment, if caie be taken, 
but at the |)resent i)rices of coffee, and the cer- 
tainty almost of it for some years remaining at 
a low ebb, there is no room for either theory 
or experiment. Every detail and inijiortant at- 
tention that a colfee tree needs must be prac- 
tically understood before it is safe to embark 
in an expensive enterprise of such a nature. 
Not the least of the nrany im|)ortant features 
that should be most cirefuHy investigated in 
starting a coffee plantation is locality. Under 
this heading I fear that great errors of judg- 
ment have been made that will cause consider- 
able disappointmetil, if not ultimately dismay. 
It is only a matter of time. Coffee comes into 
bearing at the end of the second year, and in four 
years give a full crop, if the ))laiit:ng has been 
ifrom the start carried out correctly. Some of 
our companies have, I think, been fully four 
years in existence. Are they declaring dividends, 
or piling up the agony and adding insult to 
injury by fictitious values of their mismanaged 
properties and wild forest land ? 
Cotfee planting was, I thinlc, at its zenith in 
Ceylon in llie year 1870, and Ceylon had t'len 
185,000 acres of cotfee in cultivation, which pro- 
duced a -irop of S85,728 cwt. of clean crdfee. 
This was, I am almost positive, the largest croji C>y- 
lonever produced. How much was it per acre? How 
much per tree ? A simple enough question ;let those 
interested work it out and base tlieit calculations 
accordingly. It mast also be borne in mind tliat 
Mexico will never produce a coffee that will in 
the markets of the world command the price of 
No. 1 Ceylon plantation. ! 
In 1880 Ceylon had an area of 321,' CD acres of 
coffee in bearing and exported a crop of only 
649,000 cwt. An immense increase of acieage, 
accounted for by the famous young districts of 
Dimbula, Dikoya and Maskeliya coming into 
bearing, l)nc tiie decrease in crop is almost apjial- 
ling. It has been calculated that not more than 
ten per cent of the planters in C ylon (and they 
were nisn of education and intelligence') ever bet- 
tered themselves by investing ia the cotfee encer- 
[)rise. Of the rest, many lost their liealth 
or their lives in the struggle. Fearful of offend- 
ing Ceylon planters I apologize for calling them 
* This is quite true.— Co;-. 
f Not correct to wit present prices.— Co?-. 
AGRIClTTUI?m. ^.rii.Y 1, 1898. 
men, not gentlemen. I tiimply do m liocaoac 
they did not wear silU bat* and kid gloves. 
It has been haid that rU'tny a good BriUbk 
soverei'!!) (pound fteiling) !ie« buned on ilie 
Kamlian liillsides, just perhaps ab in after years 
many a good American flollar will lie buried in 
Mexico.' Ceylon it, an island, 207 by luilefc, 
with an area of l;'.,809,'i!< ) acre.-, all Udd. an.l i<, 
prove !io\v precarious a matier location i*I may 
mention that ordy about 4t.iU.(.HtO acres of lhi$ aiea 
was considered lit for the cultivation ol coHVe. the 
baance being absolutely useless for coffee, the 
bean in fjict almost refusing lo txeii gerniiuate in 
the extreme north of ihe island. 
It may he swiJ that the writer i* an aUr:u°»i'1 or, 
speaking meiaplioricallv, ha^ •' y.it an axe lo 
grind." .Such is not the case ; Ceylon (Mpffee cmI 
tnre has become history, anil my reinarkK oan be 
veiilieil by perliaps one of the greatest liviii« 
authorities on Coffee culture, viz., Mr. Wiu. 
M' Kenzie, Ceylon Government ^'<imnH-^sioiier, and 
l^hinters' I'epresentaiive, VM Front Street, New 
INIJIAN PATENTS. 
Applications for the under apecifitJ inventions Ltve 
been made. 
No. 120.— Samuel Cleland Davidt<on, of Belfast, for 
improvements in apparatus for drying tea leaf or other 
snbstiinses. 
No. 144. — John McDonnell, of Cej'Ion, for improve- 
ments in tea rolling oiachines. 
No. 153.— Samuel CleUnd Davidson, of Belf ut, for 
improvements in apparaius lor dryiiiflr lea, coffee, 
cocoa, grain or other substances.— /hc/iVm and Eaitein 
Eii'jiiieer. 
THE MATE TEA COMPANY. 
In the Conrt of Appeal on Tuesday before tlie 
Master of the Polls and Lords .Jusiice l{igby and 
Collins, M.ijor Coglan appealed from an older of 
Mr. Justice 15arnes dismis>ing an action which 
lie had brought against Arthur and Hamilton 
Cumberland, in respect of the puich.a>e of the 
business of the Mate Tea Company. The .action 
was to have an agreement of the J4ih Auj^uet 
for the purchase of the busitiess an.l a sul).se<juent 
morf.g,age .set aside and cancelled, and for the re- 
payment of a sum of £1,000 which had been p.aid 
to the defendants. The business, that of the 
manufacture and sale of Mate Tea, which \va.s 
stated to have stimulating properties si?nilar m 
coca and kola, w.as advertised for sale by the 
ilefendants and the plaintilf entered into negotia- 
tions for its jjurchase. The plaintiff, it wa.s ail- 
mitted, had had no business experience, but he con- 
tended that the defendants had misre|ne.sented the 
extent and profits of the business. His Lordships in 
the Ccuirt below, came to the conclusion that 
no substantial misrepresentations had been made, 
but that the falling ofl' in the \olume of business 
was due to the inex))erienee and want of care and 
forethought of the plaintiff —Mr. Terrell (i-C, on 
behalf of the api)ellant, agreed that everything 
being taken into .account, there was such a mis- 
representation on the p.irt of the defendants as 
would entitle the ]ilaintiff to have the purcha.se 
annulled. — .-\fter hearing Counsel on the other 
side, their .Lordships reserved judgment. — Grocers' 
Journal, May 7. 
* Not so Ceylon planters come here. — Cor. 
t He is certainly not a practical planter. — Cor 
