Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-03-07
Concerning Coffee.

the papers, stating that "Mr. Geo. r. Hoff-
man, Ellington county, Illinois, last year rails
ed two bushels Of coffee, nearly identical with
the Rio coffee. His seed was sent to him three
years ago from Australia. It is unproductive
the first year, bearing little the second year,
aud is most productive the third season. At
hisestimate thirty bushels can be groiVn per acre.
This plant has every appearance of hardness
and 6dabiIbility to Illinois soil Many farmers
in Mr. IIofTlran's vicinity will plant it 10 the
coming season." 4a t,-
Coffee is emphatioally a tropical plant, and
if it can be grown down in Egypt" they are
firiher South than they have ever been accus-
cd of being. The plant grows wild in Abys.
sinia and Liberia. Its cultivation has beeDin-
ifrdqced into most of the tropical countries.--T
Ii thrives best in rocky, warm situations, and
on the slopes Of hills where the rains which
fall leave the soil dry. ..sa. ..s....
1t is Perrepiel plant, with evergreen. op-
pOsite lea'es, and grows to the hight of eight
TO twelve feet-sometimes reaching to thirty
feet, when not pruned down to facilitate The
gathering the fruit. The dark green and
glossy leaves interspersed with the thick clus-
tcrs Of white flowers, give, the coffee orchards
Il beautiful appearance. The mountain slopes
of Java, covered from the hight Of two thou
sand 10 three thousand feet with cofs,e orch
ards, are said to be the most picturesque and
beautiful il tie world. Travellers speak of
the old Spanish coffee orchards Of San Louis
( Potosi and La Puebla as bewitchingly .beauti-
fn even in their neglected and ruined condi7
tion. Some Of these old orchards are found
IN Soulherh California, near Angeles and San
I l.. I
noiS friends desire TO go into the cultivation Of
the plant within the limits of our broad I'm
ion, we would suggest that here is place which
tjfohiiii-es success. ...,...a...,s.s-. =
l'lte plant il raised from seeds planted IN q
nursery, aid at the end Of the year Transplant
Cd into orchards The shrubs come into bear
ing the third year, ard continue to produce
fluit for twenty years or more. Some of the
orchards in Mexico, though entirely neglected,
have produced fruit for number of years.
The plant is a constant bloomer; flowers and
ripe fruit can be found upon it at all seasons,
hut there are two principal haryests in the year,
The beans which is the part Of the fruit found
in commerce, are the seeds Of the plant, two
Of which are found iu each purple berry. The
pu!t part OF. the fruit, which is sweet and
pleasant to the taste, is wa; he'd from the seeds,
and these are dried and cleaned tor market.
Coffee as it is found in market usually takes
its name like wines, from the locality in which
it was grown. Rather, three places give names
to tiit, Dfineipal varieties Of the bean found I'd
market Under lie name Of Rio we get
coffee from Brazil, st. Domingo, Cuba, aud
Porto Rico Venezuela, and the British West
Indies; while that from Java, Ceylon, etc,
comes to us as Java" Mocha, the principal
seaport oil Arabia, was once celebrated az the
greatest coffee port, in the world, and has given
name TO a variety Of the article, which is great
IL celebrated. 1t came from the interior Of
Arabia, from Suez and Bombay, and was
small but very highly favored berry. This
trade Las so far diminished, that in l847 only
ten thousand tons were exported; while Brazil
exports four hundred million pounds; Java one
hundred and forty million; CeylOn and st, Do
mingO each fpry million. NJ, -, .5ff
The entire product Of the. coffte-producing
! countries is. set down at seven hundred and
thirteen millions of pounds, which is consum-
cd by the nonproducing countries as follOws:-
The United States, two hundred and sixteen
millions Of gQHfdsi Germany, one hundred and
eighty 4;e millions; France, Switzerland and
Ilaigi Ono uuuuIeu anu lWSuhy-nfC ullltOH9i
Holland, Belgium, ninety millions; Great Bri-
tain, thirty millions; and the remainder By 9TH
er eout,rics. .-.
T The use Of coffee as a beverage was first in
troduced into Persia from Ethiopia A, ID. s25,
and Arabia sometime iu l40O. About l450
il was used in Eden, and was esteemed very
popular drink among the lawyers and studiouR
persons, especially such as we're desirOus Of
/ Keeping awake at night.
I 1t is a curious fact in this connection TO no.
| iicc that three Substances SO much used as
table Beverage, contain principles which are
| chemically allied. Though differing largely in
their external appearance, they have been so-
Iicited by the world as beverage. The ttiefIS
in tea caffeine iu coffee and heobromine in CO.
Goa, represent the principle which has causal
Ihem to be selected 60 ge6erally as beverage.
I The EhoT5 coffee plant contains this princi-
+ pc. In some countries, where the berry does
not rigcn completely, the leaves are used to
make ii dcc0cion for the table as we use tea.
/ They are said to have the favor of coffee and
tea mixed 1t may be that they will be able
to do something in the way Of producing the
leaves in Illinois, and if they answer for tea
/ and coffee both, there may be double gain,