26 BULLETIN 30, PORTO RICO EXPERIMENT STATION. 
the Porto Rican variety. These are followed by the robustoid group, 
and later still by the Liberian group, of which Excelsa appears to 
be the latest. 
The three groups in which the coffees of commercial interest have 
been placed were clearly divided as to cherry size, except in case 
of Maragogipe (large) and Excelsa (small). The Liberian group 
contains large cherries, and the robustoid group small cherries^ 
nearly twice as many of the latter as of Porto Rican being required 
to fill a given measure. 
The variation in weight of an almud of cherries was slight. The 
reduction in weight from cherry to marketable bean not only showed 
marked differences between the groups but a considerable range within 
the group. The Liberian group suffered the heaviest reduction, the 
ratio of weight of cherry to marketable bean ranging from 10.2 : 1 
for Liberica to 7.2 : 1 for Excelsa, an almud of cherries giving 2| and 
4 pounds, respectively, of marketable coffee. The ratio of reduction 
for the varieties in the Arabian group ranged from 6.6 : 1 for Padang 
to 5.1 : 1 for San Ramon, which was the only variety in this group 
showing as favorable a ratio as the Porto Rican. The robustoid 
group showed the least loss in weight and consequently the most 
favorable ratio of reduction of any of the groups, the ratio ranging 
from 4.4 : 1 for Robusta to 3.9 : 1 for Quillou, an almud of cherries 
of the latter giving 8 pounds of marketable coffee. 
The groups were not clearly divided as to bean weight. The 
Liberian group is made up of larger beans than the robustoid. In 
the Arabian group there is a wide range, from Mocha with the 
smallest bean to Maragogipe weighing three times as much, and 
nearly equaling in weight the bean of Liberica, which was th^ 
largest of those compared. In the Arabian group Maragogipe was 
first and Padang was second in bean size, with Columnaris and 
Erecta comparing favorably with the Porto Rican. The Arabian 
group ran lowest in peaberries, 6 to 17 per cent; the Liberian group 
was intermediate with 14 per cent for Liberica to 29 per cent for 
Excelsa ; and the robustoid group was highest, 18 to 41 per cent. 
As the coffee planter often sells his product in the parchment, the 
buyer making an arbitrary deduction of 18 to 20 per cent, according 
to its condition and appearance, in lieu of actual weight of parch- 
ment, a comparison of the varieties for reduction in weight on re- 
moval of the parchment was made. The loss for the Liberian group 
was very high, ranging in the samples examined from 24 to 33 per 
cent. The Arabian group showed a reduction of 15 to 20 per cent; 
the Porto Rican, 17 per cent; and the robustoid group showed the 
least reduction, 12 to 14 per cent. 
Of the Arabian coffees imported by the station, Padang, Column- 
.aris, Erecta, and Bourbon have shown themselves to be vigorous and 
productive under favorable conditions, and of good cup quality. 
In marketing, they could be mixed with the Porto Rican. A point 
against Bourbon, however, is the small size of its bean. The growth 
of Columnaris has been the most vigorous of any of the Arabian 
coffees. 
Maragogipe, notable for its large bean and distinctive flavor, has 
given too low a yield to warrant commercial plantings. 
Mocha, San Ramon, and Murta have given low individual yields, 
but as the trees of the last two varieties are small, the acre yield 
