COFFEE VARIETIES IN PORTO RICO. 7 
best. There were one or two samples that were supposed to be high grown 
i did not show up the snap they ought to. As a rule, the coffees seemed 
to lack what we call acid or snap. That was, I should think, the one most 
consistent criticism of the various tasters. * * * The consensus of opinion 
about the samples of the coffees that you have imported from other countries 
to grow in Porto Rico was that generally they retain little, if any, of the 
quality of the original. The different tasters do not agree as to the amount 
retained. Some say nothing and others a distinguishable amount. 
Coffees of the Arabian group at the station are growing in stiff 
clay soil on rather steep slopes. The soil is no better than that of 
the average coffee plantation, and is poorer than on many planta- 
tions; and the grove is located on an elevation just above sea level, 
where conditions are less favorable for Arabian coffee than is the 
case at higher altitudes. 
Padang Coffee. 
Padang coffee is highly thought of in the world's markets. In 
November, 1921, it was quoted at 22 to 24 cents with Porto Rican 
at 114 to 15-J cents a pound. 
Padang coffee is a Sumatran variety, the seed of which was received 
at the experiment station from the Botanic Gardens, Buitenzorg, 
Java. (PI. II, fig. 1.) In general appearance both tree and bean 
are similar to the Porto Rican. More than 250 trees of Padang 
coffee have been planted at the station. Seed was planted in Decem- 
ber. 1908, and the seedlings were transplanted to the field to an area 
of one-fifth acre the following August. Thev were 4. 6,* 9, and 10 
to 11 feet high, respectively, in March of 1911. 1912. 1913, and* 1914. 
Plantings were made on both fertilized and unfertilized ground, 
and after the small 1911 crop. The fertilized plat for the 11-year 
period 1912-1922 annually yielded an average of about 3.1 liters of 
cherries per tree, and the unfertilized plat, approximately 2.7 liters 
with a maximum yield of 5.1 liters. 12 
Among the Arabian varieties the Padang bean ranks next largest 
after Maragogipe, considerably surpassing Porto Rican samples. 
(See Table 3.) Padang loses considerably in weight from cherry 
to cleaned bean* when prepared for market, there being much less 
cleaned coffee per almud than in case of the Porto Rican variety. 
(See Table 4.) 
Bourbon. 
De Wildeman 13 says that Bourbon coffee, owing to its fine aroma, 
has always been one of the most highly esteemed sorts. (PI. V, 
fig. 1.) According to Lalie.re. 14 it is grown in the deepest and rich- 
est soils on one-fifth of the plantations of the State of Sao Paulo, 
Brazil, and it is more exacting in its requirements than the ordi- 
nal* Brazilian coffee. 
In April, 1915, seed of this variety was received from J. Hill, 
the owner of a large coffee plantation at Santa Ana, Republic of 
Salvador, Central America, who wrote regarding it: 
I am staking my whole future upon Bourbon. 1 have Ifaurbon out in sun 
at 2,000 and at 3.000 feet, and in hoth places it looks well, and at two 
years from planting out the trees have a good crop on them. 
12 The approximate yield of marketable coffee per nee. or per acre, arbitrarily ;t*snimnsr 
700 trees to the acre, can easily be estimated, since there are about 4 liters of 'cherries of 
the local or similar coffee to a pound of cleaned coffee beans. 
13 Les plantes tropicales de grande culture. E. de Wildeman. 1902, p. 99. 
a4 Le cafe (Bresilt, p. 39. Amour Laliere. 1909, p. 39. 
