December i, 1890.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
413 
LIBERIAN COFFEE. 
An Address byHeeb II. J. Wigman to the 
Batavian Association oe AaiucuLTURE, at a 
Meeting held at Buitenzobcj on the 23iid 
J uiA' 1890. 
(Tramlated for the “Tropical Af/riculturiA" 
from Dr. II. J. TTu/duois Address, by 
John Dent Young.) 
It cannot be too strongly urged, that in colonies 
such as .Tava the prosperity of the natives and 
colonists depends in a great measure on the cultivation 
of the soil. Should the prosperity of agriculture 
diminish — whatever may be the cause — the evil results 
are immediately felt throughout the length and breadth 
of the laud. In countries where commerce and manu- 
facture have reached a high stage the inhabitants may 
have made themselves less dependent on the soil ; here 
we have not yet attained that point. A few years ago 
agriculture underwent a fearful crisis, from the effects 
of which we have not yet quite recovered. Such cir- 
cumstances are not strange in the history of agriculture 
in most countries ; generally it emerges from them with 
renewed vigour. It then becomes the question whether by 
a better system of working, and by more rigid economy, 
it be possible, to continue the competition with other 
countries, or whether it be inevitably necessary to aban- 
don the existing kinds of cultivation and to seek for 
others. An example of this last we find in Central 
Europe, at the time when America flooded the Buropeau 
markets with her colossal importation of corn, causing 
the prices to fall to such an extent that in some 
countries, notwithstanding the most strenuous efforts, 
the corn growers found it impossible to continue the 
competition. Especial duties were levied on imported 
grain for protecting native industry, but in spite of all 
efforts to sustain a kind of factitious prosperity, it 
was only in very favorable circumstances that such cul- 
tivation could be carried on. 
Many , looked round in search |of other products to 
cultivate. In lands suitable for cattle breeding, this 
industry wbb extended. England chiefly led the way in 
cattle breeding; elswhere so-called minor -praducts were 
tried, A large portion of former corn fields are now 
planted with beet-root for sugar making, and it is 
this cultivation that wages a life and death struggle 
with the tropical sugarcane. Another of our staple 
preducts is more directly threatened by America : the 
enormous quantity of coffee exported thence caused 
a considerable fall in price a few years back, and 
although at present the article has recovered a satis- 
factory value, still the position of the produce here 
is attended with anxiety, all the more on account of 
the leaf-disease and the “ jamur upas ” which persevere 
in their work of destruction. 
It causes no wonder that agriculturists and those 
who are interested in cultivation use their utmost 
endeavours to bring about a better state of affairs. 
That matters are now very much better than they 
were a couple of years ago cinnot be doubted. Of one 
of the bracches of culture which was introduced during 
the disastrous epoch alluded to, which his every chance 
of being greatly extended, I now purpose more fully to 
speak, it is the Liberian coffee. 
Hero I must unavoidably refer to what I have 
already written in the ‘‘ Teysmannia” under the head 
of “ Notes ou Agriculture.” 
As the name indicates, this kind of coffee has its 
origin in Liberia, a negro republic, founded by an 
American philantliropic society, which purchase 1 the 
freedom of seventy thousand slaves, and sent them from 
America to the coast of Upper Guinea. 
The Republic now counts 215,000 inhabitants ; it 
docs not yet go well with them, and that their con- 
dition is in a great measure the fault of the liberated 
slaves, appoar.s amongst other proofs from the wasting 
neglect of the splendid kind of coffee which is there 
indigenous. 
It is only in the uttermo.'-t need, so tell us travellers 
who have visited Liberia, that the negro goes into the 
forest, there g.ither.s ripe and unripe coffeo just as it 
comes to hand, and dries it in the most careless 
manner. Such coffee used to be taken to London in 
small lots, aud as it had (not without justice) earned 
a bad reputation, it was generally disposed of at 
very low prices. Latterly, more care has been bestowed 
ou the preparation of the Liberian ooffoe, and its ex- 
ported of good quality. 
In a recently published work by ,J. Biittikofer, Con- 
servator of the National Zoological Museum at Leiden, 
entitled “ Reisebilder avs Liberia ,” — Brill 1890, 1 find 
some particulars respecting the soil and climate which I 
now comrauuicate. In the second volume of this work, 
which has not yet appeared, the cultivated plants are 
to be treated of, and I hope later on to furnish you 
with full information on them. 
The soil of Liberia consist for the most part of red 
clay ground containing a great deal of iron. 
The only months free from rain are January and 
February — and even towards the end of the latter 
mouth the clouds begin to gather, thunder is heard 
rolling in the distance, tilt at length a tornado bursts 
with storm and rain. From this time to the end of 
March frequent storms occur; and still more often 
in April, when they happen almost daily. Vegetation 
had been in a state of summer sleep during January 
aud February, when many of the frees and shrubs lose 
their loaves, is now wakened up by the powerfnl 
influence of the superabundant rains, and again 
assumes its magnificent attire, with the glories peculiar 
to the tropics alone. 
Thi.s IS the most favourable season for planting and 
sowing the fields; duringthe first two months of the year 
the labor of felling and burning off are performed, and in 
the first place rice and Indian corn are sown, which 
quickly germinate and spring up. In May the storms 
and squalls subside, and the regular rainy season sets in. 
Tiie sky is constantly covered with dense clouils and 
rain falls almost without intermission ; hardly a day 
passes without rain. About the middle of July the 
weather moderates and there is an interval of fine 
weather, and the harvest season begins, the rice aud 
Indian corn are got in and dried as quickly as possible, 
as the second h.alf of the rainy season quickly ap. 
proaches and would render such work impossible. 
A'l too soon the few fine days, the number thereof 
varying much in different years, come to an end and 
the rains pour down with redoubled violence. Indeed 
it can hardly be called rain ; the water streams down 
from the atmosphere, day and night, at times for 
weeks together. The rills become great streams, whole 
tracts of land are laid under water, and most of the 
roads or ways become impracticable. Day after day 
the negro is as it were shut up in his hut, and forced 
to idleness he lives on the rice and maize which he has 
been able to store up under cover. Thus go by the 
mouths of August and September with almost con- 
tinuous rain. In October the tornadoes begin again, in 
November the rains become less frequent, and during 
December they generally take up altogether. 
The thermometer shows a mean temperature of 2.5° 
Celsius at 6 a.m., 30° at noon, and 29° at 6 p.m., at 
nights the thermometer seldom falls belcw 24°, and at 
the warmest weather it rarely risss above 31° in 
1 p.m. AUhen the magnificent species of Liberian coffee 
became better known. Dr. Scheffer, the then director 
of the Natioual Botanical Garden here, made strenuous 
efforts to introduce it into this country. Tho Liberian 
coffee was introduced somewhat earlier into Ceylon 
than it was into Java ; the well-known firm of William 
Bull, ill Loudon, obtained seed from Liberia aud suc- 
ceeded in getting it to germinate in their hothouss, 
and the p’auts thus raised were planted in Ceylon in 
1873. In July 1874, the first Liberian coffeo seed was 
brought to the National Botanical Garden by the in- 
termediation of the Ministry for Colonies. I well 
remember the surprise which was excited here on tho 
appearance of the fine large coffee beans when they 
were first shown here. The largest of these seeds in 
the parchment measured in length not less than 22 
millimetres, and 12 in breadth. This seed was packed 
in two cases, one in dry saud and the other in charcoal ; 
but in spite of all the care that could be taken in 
bringing them over, not one of the seeds germinated 
to the great disappointment of all copcerned. Towards 
