Polynesian., 1861-05-25
No. 4.


BUILDINGs.-These comprise Bungalow for the
manager, Lines for the laborers, and Pulping
House and Store for the preparation and reception
of the crop.
The position of the Pulping house should inAu-
the selection of the spot for the other build
ings, unless other circumstances determine it. The
Bungalow should, if possible, be an easy distance
nom the Store, that the manager may without diff
fculty superintend the work which at crop time is
going often at night well as in the day time.
One set of Lines for the laborers for the rea-
son, should be near to the Store, another set may
be erected more centrically with reference to the
field labor of the estate.
With reference to Lines and Bungalow, especial
y the latter, they will be erected according to the
managers taste, and in a great measure depend
upon the material to be obtained in the particular
locality for constructing them. True economy will
be practised in making permanent and substantial
dwellings, which will require only slight repairs
occasionally.
The selection of the land for the Pulping house
and Stores, and drying ground, is al-important,
and should only be attempted by resident man
| ager to whom Il long residence on the plantation
has afforded intimate acquaintance with every
feature of the land. The advantages which have
to be sought and combined, are availability OF wa
ter power, both to drive the machinery, and for
water course to the Pulper a site convenient to
the fields from which the cropis to be brought, and
so level that it may be fitted for its purposes at the
least possible expense.
Water power is not always used, nor is it avail
able on every estate but as there may be often
good reasons to adopt it afterwards it should al
ways be considered in the primary arrangements.
| 1t may be applied to so many economic objects, saw
mills, drying apparatus, &C., that 1t should always
be applied, if possible, to everything undertaken on
the estate requiring moving power.
Coffee, when gathered from the tree fully ripe,
is like rich scarlet cherry, out of which, on being
squeezed, two coffee berries break forth, each COW
| cred with light skin resembling parchment, and
moist with sweet mucilagenous fluid which rap
idly decomposes. The machine called pulper is
for the purpose of removing the cherry skin or
husk. This it does by passing 1T between barrel
armed with perforated copper, forming CRATER,
and sharp edged board called the chop, which by
means of wedges or screws is placed at the proper
distance from the barrel to insure the greater part
of the coffee being pressed against 1t, but not so
close that any of the berries should be pricked
through their parchment covering. As coffee Is
seldom uniform in size, much passes forward from
which the husk, or pulp as it is called, has not
been completely removed; this, being separated by
a seive worked by the machinery, is returned by
hand to the hopper. The coffee deprived of Its
husk, goes forward by channel prepared for it
into a cistern, the pulps being thrown off behind
these latter are generally saved to be carried
to the manure pit. The coffee is left to soak In the
cistern for the night, or for that length OF time
which is sufficient to wash off the muellage-an
operation which is facilitated by slight fermen-
tatiOn, not, however, always conducted with safety
to the future quality of the coffee. Pulping houses
are supplied with several cisterns, into which the
several pulpngs may be run off that the work may
not stand still.
In the pulping house above the pulpers is large
floor, called the cherry loft, into which the coffee
in cherry from the field is measured, and from
whence through holes, it is made to fall into the
| frorn tba N no
terms and when washed is carried out by the Ia
bOrers to be dried which brings US to speak OF
the store and drying apparatus. Before doing so,
we may mention that the pulper, which is consid-
cred very imperfect machine, is generally driven
by four men at two handles, aided by fly wheel !;
the power is Immediately applied to turn the bar
rel, to which is connected a large cog wheel which
moves piniOn attached, to work sieve or riddle.
Many improvements in the pulping machine have
been suggested without success. The last, which
is beginning to be adopted is called Crusher, and
we believe consists in kind of shield, instead OF
chop, which presses the coffee against the barrel.
This machine is said to do as much work in given
time the pulper, and with less liability to cut or
prick the berry.f
Pulpers turned by water power, if properly erect
ed TO resist the strain of the connecting machinery,
q work with more equality of motion, and therefore
do their work better than those worked by hand.
1t has been said that the pu per is an imperfect
with which it performs the work for which 1t IS
constructed. The work complete would be to pass
forward the whole of the cherry coffee from the
hopper as clean parchment coffee, into the cistern,
and completely separate the pulp. Instead of this,
not only is there much coffee passed forward un-
pulped, which has to be returned to the hopper,
but much pulp comes forward with the coffee into
the cistern To overcome these imperfections,
many hands are required attending the process of
pulping; several, with seves receive all the coffee
as it comes through the trough into the cistern and
remove all the pulps which are in it. The object
of this is both to please the sight by making the
sample even, and to take away material which
both renders the coffee difficult to dry, and being
decomposed vegetable matter of sacharine nature,
is liable by fermentation to injure the quality of
the coffee itself. The coffee which is passed un-
pulped, having been returned to the hopper as 1T
accumuates at the end of the pulper riddle until
the picking has all been puped, is sometimes pass
ed through another pulper, set closer, and what
then remains is dried separately In the husk. The
imperfeetious of the puper have recently attracted
much notice. and we think that the dawn of great
improvement draws nigh.
From the pulping house the coffee has to PASS to
the drying apparatus and the store. Coffee requires
to be thoroughly dried before it leaves the planta-
tion-that is to say not final and perfect drying,
but every particle of water or vegetable moisture.
which would possibly heat when it is packed in
tags in which it may have to remain from 3 to D
weeks before it is spread out again in the sun at
Colombo, should be removed. The store and dry
ing apparatus must vary to locality. though the
differences noticed in the older estates in Ceylon
derived from the prevailing whim of the time or
the pecunary means at the disposal of the planter.
Some of these constructions have cost many shous-
ands of pounds estates which have proved fail
ures built ridicuously large and Of expensive ma
terial; or sometimes the most expensive workman
ship has been employed to erect them with perish
able timber, of which no native would build hut.
Since Crusher has been
orally adopted.
ITO be eontnued-l