Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1862-01-31
COncerninR Coffee.

year raised ttUo bushels Of coffee, nearly iden- |
tical with the Rio coffee. His seed was sent |
to him three years ago from Australia 1t is |
unproductive the first year, bearing little |
the second year, and is most productive the
third season. AT his estimate thirty bushels |
cdR be gTolUn per acre. This plant has every
appearance Of hardness and adaptability to |
Illinois soil. Many farmers in Mr.. Hoffman's
vicinity will plant it in the coming season."
Coffee is emphatically tropical plant and
if it can be grown down in Egypt" they are
farther South than they have ever been ac-
cused of being The plant grows wild in
Abyssinia and Liberia. Its cultivation has
been introduced into most of the tropical
countries. II thrives best in rocky, warm
situations, and on the slopes of hills where the
rains which fall leave the soil dry.
1t is perennial plant, with evergreen, op.
poste leaves, and grows to the hight of from
eight to twelve feet-sometimes reaching to
thirty feet, when not pruned down to facili-
tate the gathering the fruit. The dark. green
and glossy lsaves, interspersed with the thick
clusters of white flowers, give the coffee
orchards beautiful appearance. The mount
ain slopes of Java, covered from the hight of
from two thousand to three thousand feet
with coffee orchards, are said to be the most
picturesque and beautiful in the world.
Travellers speak of the old Spanish coffee
orchards of San Luis Potosi and La Puebla
as bewitchingly beautiful, even in their neg
lected and ruined condition. Some of these
old orchards are found in Southern Califor-
mia, near Angeles and Santa Barbara are
still cultivated, and if our Illinois friends de-
sire to go into the cultivation of the plant
within the limits of our broad Union, we
would suggest that here is place which
| promises success. The plant is raised from
seeds planted in a nursery and at the end of
the year transplanted into orchards. The
| shrubs come into bearing the third year and
cOptipua 70 rrnJ,,oa fr1;t Torf
more. Some of the orchards in Mexico,
| though entirely neglected, have produced
| fruit for number of years. The plant is
constant bloomer. Flowers aud ripe fruit
can be found upon it at all seasons, but there
are two principal harvests 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 in each purple berry. The
pulpy part of the fruit, which is sweet and
| pleasant TO the taste, is washed from the
seeds and these are dried and cleaned for
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 the three principal varieties OF
the bean found in market. Under the name of
"RiO" we get coffee from Brazil, st. Do.
mingo, Cuba and Porto Rico, Venezuela
and the British West Indies, while that from
Java Ceylon, etc., comes to us as "Java."
Mocha, the principal seaport of Arabia, was
once celebrated as the greatest coffee port Of
the world, and has given name to variety
| OF the article, which is greatly celebrated. 1t
came from the interior Of Arabia from Suez
and Bombay, and was q small, but very
| highly favored berry. This trade has so far
diminished that in l847 only ten thousand
tuns were exported; while Brazil exports
four hundred million pounds Java one hum
dred and forty million, Ceylon and st. Do
mingo each forty million.
The entire product of the coffee producing
countries is set down at seven hundred and
thirteen million Of pounds; which is con-
sumed BY the nou-produciug countries as
follows: The United States two hundred
and sixteen million of pounds: Germany
one hundred and eighty five million; France,
Switzerland and Italy, one hundred and
twenty-five million; Holland and Belgium
ninety million Great Britain thirty million,
and the remainder by other countries.
The use of coffee as "a beverage was first in
troduced into Persia from ETHIOPIA A. D. S75,
and into Arabia sometime in l4OO. About
l450 it was used in Alden, and was esteemed
very popular drink among the lawyers and
studious persons, especially such as were de
sirous of keeping awake at night.
1t is curious fact in this connection to no.
tice that three substances 50 much used as a
table beverage, contain principles which
are chemically allied. Though differing
largely in their external appearance, they
have been solicited by the world as a bever.
age. The thiene in tea, caffeine in coffee, and
theObrOaalne in the cocoa, represent the princi-
pie which has caused them to be selected 80
generally as a beverage.
The whole coffee plant contains this prin-
ciple. In some countries where the berry
does not ripen completely, the leaves are
. used to make a deooction for the table as We
use tea. They are said to have the flavor Of
, coffee and tea mixed. 1t may be that they
, will be able to do something in the way O
producing the leaves in Illinois, and if they
, answer for tea and coffee both, there may b'
: double gain,