118 HISTORY OF THE [book v. 
is properly attended to, may be reckoned at 750 
pounds; and one negro is well able to take proper 
care of an acre and a half. 
We are now come to the most important business 
of t ie coffee planter, (i. e.) the gathering in his crop, 
and the mode of curing it for market. The prac¬ 
tice in Arabia according to Le Roque, is as follows: 
■—“ When the planters perceive that the fruit is 
come to maturity, they spread cloths under the 
trees, which they shake from time to time, and the 
ripe fruit drops off. The berries thus collected are 
afterwards spread upon mats, and exposed to the 
sun with the pulp on the berries, until they are 
perfectly dry, which requires a considerable time ; 
after which, the beans are extricated from its out¬ 
ward incumbrance by the pressure of a large and 
heavy stone roller, when they are again dried in 
the sun; for the planters consider, that, unless 
coffee be thoroughly dry, there is danger of its 
heating. It is then winnowed with a large fan, 
and packed for sale.” 
It cannot be denied that this simple method must 
be infinitely superior to any other for preserving the 
genuine flavour of the berry; but it may well be 
doubted, whether the additional price which the 
planter might obtain at the British market for cof¬ 
fee thus gathered and prepared, would be adequate 
to the value of the time and labour which so tedi¬ 
ous a method would necessarily require. The 
