COFFEE VARIETIES IX PORTO RICO. 
3 
the coast than in the hills. Generally there are two or three major 
blossomings, followed by several minor ones. 
Upon fading the flowers are replaced by small berries, which when 
ripe resemble carmine cherries, hence the term " coffee-cherry." The 
fruit requires from six and one-half to seven months to mature. At 
Mayaguez the main crop is gathered during September, October, and 
November at intervals usually of about two weeks. Table 1 gives 
the ripening season for Porto Rican coffee, as shown by the harvest 
over a period of seven years from experimental plats located 7 miles 
east of Mayaguez, and for other varieties grown at the station. 
Table 1. — Ripening season and percentage of crop harvested each month for the 
espective varieties. 
Variety. 
Monthly quantity harvested for the whole period. 
Aug. 
Sept. 
Oct. 
Nov. 
P.ct. 
6 
14 
11 
27 
13 
22 
21 
37 
40 
13 
15 
13 
6 
1 

Dec. 
Jan. 
Feb. 
Mar. 
Apr. 
P.ct. 
'slay. 
June. 
July. 
Mocha 
P.ct. 
5 
15 
G 
14 
3 
1 
2 
P.ct. 
37 
31 
40 
32 
39 
31 
12 
t 
5 
P.ct. 
52 
37 
38 
24 
40 
41 
28 
34 
27 
1 
1 
3 
1 
2 
P.ct. 
P.ct. 
P.ct. 
P.ct. 
P.ct. 
P.ct. 
P.ct. 
Bourbon . . 
3 
5 
3 
•j 
5 
26 
18 
22 
29 
27 
20 
19 
26 
9 
Murta 

Porto Rican, Las Vegas 
Erecta 


Padang 
San Bamon 
11 
4 
6 
44 
45 
43 
46 
28 
41 
5 
Maraeoeipe 

Columnaris 
Canephora 
10 
9 
13 
18 
20 
26 
5 
3 
2 
8 
9 
9 
16 
28 
Ouillou 
1 
Congensis hybrids 
Robusta 
Dewevrei 
4 
4 
22 
1 
1 
3 
Liberica 
2 
E xoelsa 

15 

7 

In 10 samples of Porto Rican coffee gathered in the vicinity of 
Mayaguez the number of cherries per liter 6 ranged from 330 to 
415, with an average of 357. 
In Porto Rico coffee is picked by the almud. 7 a measure of 20 
liters' capacity. The average weight of an almud of coffee cherries 
is 28 pounds and 3 ounces as determined by measuring and weighing 
over 2\ tons of coffee cherries during a period of more than five 
years. Table 2 gives some idea of the size of the cherries of various 
coffees, based upon the average number per liter. 
Table 2. — Number of cherries per liter of different varieties of coffee. 
Varietv. 
Liberica 
Maragogioe 
Dewevrei" (general 1 
Dewevrei (tree No. 2510). 
Padang 
Erecta 
Murta 
Porto Rican (Mayaguez). 
Average 
number ' 
of cherries 
per liter.** ' 
Variety. 
139 i 
209 | 
263 
268 
328 
352 
355 
357 
Columnaris 
Excelsa 
San Ramon 
Mocha. 
Robusta 
Congensis hybrids. 
Canephora.". 
Quillou 
Average 
number 
of cherries 
per liter.a 
388 
410 
515 
543 
564 
638 
654 
681 
a Computed from the count of cherries in 4 to 21 liter measures, excepting C dewevrti tree No, 2510, 
6 In estimating size for other varieties this number is. for purposes of comparison, arbi- 
trarily assumed to be representative of size of Porto Rican coffee cherries as grown in 
this vicinity. 
7 One almud of cherries yields about 5 pounds of marketable coffee. One pound of 
cherries equals about 0.22 pound of marketable coffee, and 1 liter of cherries about 0.:) 
pound of marketable coffee. Approximately 300 pounds of marketable coffee is produced 
per acre in Porto Rico per annum. 
