640 
[March i, 1892. 
THP tropical AQRICULTURI8T, 
tgaiait an average of 3,557 torn,. Tlie cardamom 
crop wai not quite so bad as the previous year, 
bat still a poor ono, and as the low prices oontinne, 
the growers of this produot are becoming much im, 
poveriihed, — Madras Titnra, Jan. 20th 
{From our citn Correspondent.) 
OooBd, Jan. 15th.— There was a harvest thanks- 
eiving servioe held in tbo Polli-lietta Church on 
Sunday, the 10th mat., owing to the almost pheno- 
menal crops that are being picked in the South Coorg 
District this season. Nothing like it baa boeu seou 
for several years past, uud with the prosoot prices 
ruling iu the market the losses of bad seaeous will 
in some measure be recouped. Tbo Itev. Mr. Malden 
conducted tho servioe. In the case of one estate I 
hear the estimate was only 10 tons, but over 30 Ions 
were picked off it, and there was still a little leaf. 
The estimate on another place was 20 tone, and 
nearly 40 was picked off it. Tbo like stories come 
from almost every quarter of the District. I have 
also hoard that iu some places they ran so short of 
water for coring purposes that coolies had to be 
employed to carry up water in note to wash tho 
coffee. This could not have been very satis- 
factory, and I am snre tho planters concerned 
would have been really glad if some heavy showers 
had fallen to help them in their difliculties. 
The water running short can only bo accounted 
for by the heavy crops that bad to be cured, as I 
believe the rainfall in the Distriot this season ex- 
ceeded tho average by about 10 inohes. Tho crops 
in North Ooorg will not, I am airaid, turn out as 
well ae the South Ooorg ones, but it is hoped that 
they will all be paying ones. Of course there are 
several exceptions, where crops will be large. 1 think 
the reason why the crops in North Ooorg were not 
quite so large as those in the Soutbern District is 
owing to the fact lliat while South Coorg was 
having a bad time of it during the past few years 
North Ooorg has done fairly well. I one day visited 
an estate where there was a very good crop, and where 
the trees were looking in prime condition in spile 
of being heavily laden with berries. The proprietor, 
who was with mo, pointed out a field off wliich he 
Slid he had on a forn or occasion picked 15 owt. 
an acre during the seouud picking. 1 almost felt 
as if a Boyal saluto wss being wafted on tho breeze 
to me and tbat a Guard was preseuting arms when 
I beard the statement. 
Your Kilgiri currespondent'e remarks abcut the 
oolour oi eotlee have been most opportune. Every care 
should be taken to prevent coolies from picking half 
ripe berries ; but it sometimes happens that in spite 
of the siriotest supervision some of them will bring in 
unripe fruit. I was surpiised once to hear a planter 
of very large experience say tliat half ripe beirics 
made no difference whatever in the colour ol the beans. 
The usual mode of curing coffee iu Coorg is to have 
it pnlped directly it is brought in the evening, TIic 
pulper most in favour is Gordon’s fluted barrel breast 
pulper; others are also used, such as Ihodisc pulper, etc. 
Directly the ctffee is pulped it is allowed to ferment lor 
from 3() to 48 hours. It is then washed throughly aud 
placed upon drying tables, where it remains for 3 or 4 days 
prior to being removed on to llm barbecues It is 
diried in all about 8 days before it is del 
patched to the coaBl^olIee works. Usually at thia 
time of the year thero ie nodeartb of carts aud there 
is generally Iterefoie no ueocasity (or storing tho 
oofl'oe long. If it has to bo stored it is friqneiitly 
turned over aud given an airing in tho snn once in 
a way. In Oeyion, where the weather during crop 
time is most nneertain and rain eontinuea to fall some- 
times for six weeks at a time, tbo coffee u-o.l to he 
dried by what was known as the hot-air proceas in 
stores eapeoially constructed for the purpose. This 
mnst have been highly expensive, but some of the 
planters there were of opinion that it was not a com- 
plete success. It need h irdly bo said, therefore that 
It was cot generally adopted tbroughont the country. 
The drying tablia referred to above are ooustruoted m 
different ways. There is the rough aud ready one. 
which consists of forked sticks driven into the ground 
and covered over with a frame work of bamboos. 
Over this is spread coir matling and the coffeo laid 
on the top of it. Tho breadth of these tables generally 
varies from 3 to 6 feet. Permanent tables are oou- 
Blructed in the following way. Briok-pillars aro built 
at regular intervals, about a foot and a half square 
aud about three feet higbi and frame works of 
roapers and rafters are placed on the top of 
these when they aro required for drying coffee 
on. When they are no longer required they are 
removed into the store till tho following season. 
An ex-Ceylon planter called these tables “ gims." The 
strangest part of it was that he used to go iu for 
them himself! 
The ooffco from Canons Edates in Mysore bis 
always held the highest place in the Eogliah market, 
and ono year when pricee were tnliug very low everv- 
lody was surprised to note the very high prices obUiued 
by Canon s coffee. This induced a plonler here to obtain 
® the coffee, to compare it with his own. 
No dmoreuco could be dotectedy with the exception thtt 
the beauBwere aomewlmt Jargor. It was then assumed 
that the estates being very old Ibe coffee had sucoeedod 
10 obtaining a good name for itseif'years ago, which it 
hui sue eedod in maintaining ever since. I remember 
Ptmeh, I think of the year 
18tW, of the cstalcs being supporod to bo offered for sale, 
and a Company was at once formed to purchase them. 
I ho whole thing was a mistake, which was all caused 
by an Illegible iignatnre of another proprieior who 
offered Ins estate for sale. Although the estates are 
cow ofgreiUago they are (till, methiuki, in a flourish- 
ing conditirin, and are giving paying crops to the pro- 
prietors. ibe soil in that part of the country 
IS I be icvo most excellent, and almost inexbans- 
tible, while Jabour is also very cheap aud obtainable, 
locally. The working of Ihc estates oo.Ma very much 
loss than it does in Coorg, where permanent 
gangs have to bo kept, a« directly work is finished 
on these Mysore cstattB llie local luhourors is dis* 
mibied till thi ir services aro required again. 
Seme years ago, when the price of ooff’oo was very 
low, efforts weie made almost on every estate iu the 
country to improve tho colour of the brans by drying 
onffea under abade for a few days before putting it 
out in the open. Although I heard from ono or two 
places that, Ibia had resnlted in obtaining for (he 
coffeo a couple of shillings or so in excess of ruling 
prices, yet it was generally believed that the drying 
of the coffee like this in no way benefited the beans 
m improving their colour. I think ju>t about that 
time, or a little later, a gentleman in charge of enriog 
works at Coimba'ore wrote to your paper and .aid 
that the experiment hod been tried years ago and the 
whole thing exploded. A good outturn at curing 
works really moans a good price. The beat outturn 
ever known was that ol Duukeld Ealnte, North Coorg 
wbieh one year turned ont 79 bur-hels of parohment 
to the ton ! I am indebted for thia piece of iufnrma- 
tiOD to the gontlcmon above referred to, who was in 
charge of the Coimbatore curing works. Some esiates 
give a very bad outturn amonuiiug sometimes to as 
mneh as from 93 to 05 bushels a ton. 88 bushels to 
the ton is very good, but in oalcnlatiiig the tonnage 
on the estate 90 bushels is nanslly allowed to the ton. 
There was a diaenssion at one time as to whether the 
beans of coffee grown iu the opi n had greater weight 
than ot that grown under shade, and 1 think it was 
decided that tho beans in the former case had the 
advantage in weight.— 41. Mail. 
AMEIUCAN QUININE RUMOURS. 
All during the Christmas week, saya the 0,1’ S D, 
Reporter, there have been reports ourient iu America 
tiist a cornbinatirn of tJio Kuropfan manufiteturora of 
qnmmo was about to be accompliflhed. Details arc 
lacking, but tho trades fcems to have put §orae faith 
in tbo sopotts as the transaotioDs during tho week have 
* Hut what ^doca ‘‘ gini " mean ? Contraction of 
giiiicrack / The writer Beoma never to liavo heard 
of “ Clerihews.”— Ed. T. j4. 
