i Aprit, 1900.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 299 
Was landed last month in Brisbane, and, although quoted at a reasonable 
Mee, failed to find buyers amongst the sugar-growers. ‘These facts 
re to point to the desirability of the Government acting upon Dr. 
Peel's report without delay. In our opinion, a conference of the leading 
he of the sugar industry should be called to give effect to the expert’s 
Commendations, and to devise some scheme to meet the initial expense, which 
tense cultivation and irrigation would necessarily entail. If the results 
. prelicted by Dr. Maxwell: followed, such outlay would be repaid tenfold by 
Mtter crops, and a regular and yearly-increasing expansion of the industry. 
ang [Since above was put in type an association has been projected in Mackay, 
will meet at an early date—Ed. Q.JLG.] 
1 COFFEE NOTES.* 
d eae Consumption of coffee is constantly and rapidly increasing all over the 
a but during 1898 the increase in production was even in greater 
*portion than the increase in consumption. 
€ consumption in various countries is calculated to be as follows ;— 
Country. Per Head. 
Th. 
Holland on ee cA Te a ed BBE 
Denmark fe ‘ee ae is ure fon’ Aka 
Belgium i ee i ae x Pcl 
United States ... ne es Ate hi ao. HSB 
Germany ae eas abs es cee He 0 area) 
France ... xi af oc ) be Pree O20 
Great Britain ... aa 2 eek A ed 0370, 
Thus it will be seen that Great Britain is the least consumer. 
de ach pound of ground coffee will produce 16 gallons of a palatable 
“0¢tion, 
The prices for the raw bean range from 3d. to 1s. 5d. per lb. 
f he best coffee of commerce is Mocha, grown in Yemen and other parts 
tabia, The second in value is said to be Java coffee. 
Tna; he Mocha berry is small and of a dark-yellow colour. Java and East 
"8 varieties are large, and of a faded yellow tint. 
American coffees are generally of a slaty or greenish colour. 
nent offee improves with age both in taste and aroma, and if een in a 
| muy dry atmosphere is supposed to reach perfection in the eighth year. 
hold Ages it loses weight by evaporation; consequently, as it is sold by weight, 
rs are anxious to sell with the least possible delay. 
aa process of roasting, 10 per cent. of the original weight is lost by 
lon. 
The best coffee is of a greenish-yellow colour; excessive greenness 1s 
{ “ered generally to indicate immaturity of the berry or artificial colouring. 
J ale rea produces more coffee than any other country in the world, and 
Wations with reference to yield of crops refer to the period of twelve 
_ As, beginning lst July and ending 30th June. 
Rio we exports of coffee from Santos reach 6,000,000 bags annually, and from 
tf, 00,000 bags. It is caleulated that during the year 1899 the production 
Lrgntce throughout the world was 1,638,120,000 Ib., and that it may attain to 
5,256,000 1b. in 1909. 
UGE cultivation of the coffee plant is rapidly extending in Brazil, Mexico, 
iy; i Rica, Columbia, and Venezuela. For commercial purposes Rio coffee is 
ae 
. 
— “into five grades: Fine, superior, good, medium, and ordinary. 
a 
fgg TOM a report published in the Journal do Conumercis ot Kio de Janeiro on tue producuen 
] Difeg D I , . . eis r L 
89 “8 In Brazil, a resumé of which report was issued by the Foreign Office in September 
, ? is y g ‘ I ? 
y 
—— 
