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THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[April  i,  1897. 
workers,  who  look  to  mother  earth  for  the  well  being 
of  their  families,  and  through  that  for  the  general 
welfare  of  those  nations  where  they  plant  their  sniil 
ing  and  cheerful  homes  of  work  and  peace,  and  for 
whom  there  is  an  increasing  welcome  affection  and 
friendship  in  Honduras,  are  the  opposites  of  those 
who,  in  a fraudulent  and  pretended  harmony  with 
some  administrations,  like  that  which  preceded  ihe 
present  one,  join  our  ranks  in  order  to  make  an  ini- 
quitous bargain  and  disturb  us  w'ith  the  sole  ambi- 
tion of  tilling  their  purses  without  giving  a penny  in 
return  for  the  protection  afforded  them;  who,  the  day 
after  a social  revolution,  sneer  at  their  f irmer  pro- 
tectors and  speak  of  them  sarcastically,  attempting 
all  along  with  palpable  hypocrisy  to  ingratiate  tliem- 
selves  with  the  new  power.  This  they  cannot  do 
with  the  eminently  liberal  Government  of  today. 
Fortunately,  the  few  emigrants  of  the  latter  class  are 
well  known — too  well  known  by  the  Honduranians, 
and,  as  experience  has  shown,  their  worst  enemies 
are  their  own  more  honorable  compatriots,  who  have 
joined  themselves  to  the  sons  of  this  country  in 
honor,  loyalty,  honesty  and  work  which  knows  neither 
stint  nor  limit.” 
To  turn  now  to  mutters  strictly  agricultural,  we 
do  not  find  any  description  of  the  iiarlicnlar 
species  of  eollee  w liicli  is  grown  in  Honduras  ; 
but  if  “the  lleshy  part  of  the  berries”  can  be 
washeil  otl’  in  runniiu.'  water,  witliont  any  jire- 
vions  immersion  in  cisterns,  the  pulp  must  l.e 
of  a par  ticularly  accommodating  consistency.  Per- 
haps, it  ^vas  not  inteiuled  that  the  curing  jirocess 
should  be  described  with  fullness  and  accuracy ; only 
t hat  the  cost  of  bringing  land  into  cultivation  should 
be  correctly  set  forth,  and  its  prolifs  estimated 
with  reasonable  approximation.  'I'he  se  dlings 
aie  trans[danteil  when  2 years  old  into  what  is 
called  a grove — so  that  shade  is  probably  pre- 
server!— ami  are  put  ilown  500  to  the  acre — 
about  the  same  as  Liberian — as  against  1,200  to 
1,700  for  Arabian  Coffee.  Against  our  3 feet  for 
Arabian,  Honduras  Coffee  is  to[>ped  at  5!-  to 
6 feet  w'hich  is  rather  higher  tlian  the  Liheiian 
variety  is  cut  down  to;  and  tlie  effect  of  the 
pruning  is  said  to  raise  the  yield  from  1 or  U lb. 
per  tree  to  4 lb.  on  an  average.  Hut  surely  the 
trees,  two  years  when  jmt  down,  should  begin 
to  bear  before  the  fourth  year  of  planting  out, 
but  we  are  told  that  it  is  only  in  the  fifth  year 
the  bearing 
Generally  averages  from  J to  J pound.  From 
this  on,  the  yield  is  doubled  each  year  i.e  , in  the 
sixth  year  the  return  will  average  about  1 pound ; 
2 pounds  in  the  seventh  year,  and  4 pounds  in  the 
eighth  to  tenth  year,  after  which  the  trees  will 
continue  in  full  bearing  for  at  least  30  years. 
That,  “under  proper  conditions  of  .soil  and 
climate”  coffee  has  “few  if  any  natural  enemies,” 
reads  almost  like  fiction  after  our  terrible  ex- 
perience; but  it  was  not  till  the  end  of  the 
“seventies”  that  we  began  to  think  much  of  our 
enemies.  The  estimated  juehl  per  acre,  2,000  lb. 
off  trees  5 to  6 feet  high,  planted  well  apart  in 
“ rich,  black  loamy  earth  ” on  which  virgin  forests 
had  flourished,  is  by  no  means  outside  the 
ran<»e  of  probability  for  a limited  acreage  well 
cared  for;  but  the  expectation  of  100  to  300  per 
cent  profit  can  scarcely  be  realized  on  large 
ventures.  This,  however, is  wdiat  Consul  Peterson, 
late  of  Honduras,  says  in  the  United  States  Con- 
sular Reports  for  189-t  : — 
The  soil,  climate  and  conditions  in  Honduras  ai-e 
equal  in  every  respect  to  those  of  Guatem  il.v,  Nicara- 
gua or  Costa  Rica,  where  the  Coffee  industry  has 
already  reached  large  proportions.  The  only  draw- 
back in  Honduras  is  lack  of  means  of  transporta- 
tion and  facilities  for  siiipment  to  the  coast.  At 
nreaent,  there  is  practically  no  exportation  from 
Hondupas,  the  product  of  the  plautatjons  being 
readily  sold  at  home.  I have  known  the  price  of 
coffee,  even  in  time  of  peace,  to  roach  the  sum  cf 
forty  (lOj  cents  (gold)  per  pound  and  in  time  of 
war  a.s  much  as  seventy-five  (75)  cents,  to  notwith- 
standing the  splendid  adaptation  cf  the  coun- 
try to  us  production.  The  Honduranian  Coffee  is 
equal  in  every  respect  to  the  Mexican,  Guate- 
malan, or  Costa  Rican  product,  and  is  well-knowui 
t • he  of  a superio'^  qualitj-,  commanding  a piice  in  the 
great  markets  of  from  twenty  (20)  to  twenty -five  (25) 
cents  per  fb.  A new  plantation  of  coffee  will  commence 
to  produce}  a profit  by  the  end  of  the  fourth  j'ear  after 
planting,  ami  after  ihe  seventh  year  a profit  of  from 
100  to  300  percent,  on  the  capital  in>ested  may  be 
expected.  Tlie  average  cost  of  the  production  of 
coffee,  after  the  plantation  is  well  started  and  five 
years  old,  will  not  exceed  seven  (7)  cents  per  pound- 
The  preparation  of  the  land  for  a coffee  plantation 
will  consist  only  of  clearing  it  eff  well  and  keeping 
it  clean.  The  young  trees  are  to  be  secured  from 
a nursery,  and  cost  from  §10  to  §20  per  thousand. 
Nurseries,  of  course,  are  maintaiued  on  every  planta- 
tion. The  young  tices  are  planted  fiom  twelve  to 
fifteen  feet  apart,  in  regular  rows,  like  an  orchard 
in  tlie  United  States,  and  tlie  holes  aie  dug  about 
one  foot  square  and  iitteen  inches  deep. 
Tfien  the  Consul  proceeds: — 
The  following  extract,  taken  from  the  'fwo  Repuhlica, 
of  Mexico,  applies  so  exactly  to  the  conditions  in  Hon- 
duras, that,  with  some  slight  changes,  I reproduce 
it  here:  "All  expenses  of  cost  and  planting  ],0f)0 
trees  are  estimated  at  §100;  their  keeping  and  at- 
tendance dining  the  three  following  years,  or  until 
they  rcacli  the  bearing  age,  at  from  §80  to  §100  per 
1,000  trees.  During  the  thiid  year,  tlie  plantation 
produces  sufficient  coffee  to  pay  expenses.  Tlie  out- 
lay for  every  100  pounds  of  coffee  prep  red  ready  for 
market  does  not  exceed  §7  as  a maximum  price,  tlie 
market  price  of  whicli  is,  at  the  present  time,  §20  to 
§22  per  100  pounds.  The  value  of  coffee  plantations 
in  full  bearing  is  calculated  at  the  rate  of  §1  per 
grown  tree,  a single  acre  producing  from  400  to 
.500  trees,  wliich  price  only  serves  as  a basis  of 
purchase,  as  it  includes,  besides  the  land  and 
buildings,  cattle,  implements  and  machinery.  Much 
of  the  labor  required  for  the  cultivation  and 
preparation  of  Coffee  is  performed  by  women  and 
children,  which  largely  increases  the  labor  siqiply 
and  reduces  the  cost,  the  average  being  thirty  (30) 
cents  per  day.  Tnc  season  for  planting  commences 
in  April  and  ends  in  November,  but  plants  raised  from 
seed  require  eight  months  to  mature  before  they  are 
ready  for  transplanting  to  the  field  in  which  they  are 
finally  to  gr-jw.  “The  altitude  best  suited  for  Coffee 
culture  is  from  1,000  to  4,000  feet  above  sea  level,  that  is, 
up  to  what  is  termed  the  frost  line.  If  the  soil  be  rich 
and  deep,  .500  trees  to  the  acre  is  a sufficient  number. 
Results  have  been  found  more  satislactory  with  this 
number  than  with  a greater  or  less  number  of  trees 
per  acre.  The  Coffee  districts  are  also  among  the 
healthiest  in  the  country,  and  the  climate  suitable 
for  Coffee-growing  is  adapted  also  for  persons  ac- 
customed to  living  in  a temperate  zone.  “ The  soil 
and  climate  suitable  for  Coffee-growing  are  also  adapted 
for  the  cultivation  of  tobacco,  corn,  beans,  bananas 
and  oranges,  and  in  the  lower-lying  districts  for 
sugar  cane,  rice,  and  most  tropical  and  subtropical 
fruits,  the  growing  of  which  is  made  accessory  to 
Coffee  culture.  The  pineapple  is  the  least  expensive 
and  the  most  profitable,  especially  where  the  planter 
has  close  and  cheap  transportation  to  the  gulf  ports." 
To  the  last  paragraph  of  the  above  extract  might  bo 
added  the  fact  that  a rubber-tree  can  be  placed  in 
the  centre  of  each  square  of  twelve  feet,  which,  in 
the  course  of  a few  years,  would  vastly  augment  the 
income  and  profits  of  the  plantation. 
We  do  not  apprehend  the  (Ie.->ertion  of  oiir  Tea 
enteijirise  as  a result  of  the  jiiihlication  of  the.se 
ligiires  ; hut  it  is  well  to  know  how  people  are 
impelled  by  great  expeetatioiis.  ^Ve  may  mark 
for  extract  in  another  i.ssue  the  ex perieriees  of  tlqj 
Company  itself  as  told  in  the.se  pages. 
