The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-02-15


Mr. EDITOR: do not know any better
medium through which ! can convey the
Information, impaired 10y the inciosed
communication. than tbrOug the Republican.
read as it is, in every neishborhood in our
State.
The writer, Mr.. Cooper, is one of our
most distinguished lawyers, and full ere
dence may be given to all his statements
send you a few of tine coffee berries
for the inspection Of the curious. 1t may
be, we have in this plant a good substitute
for the imported coffee, and may become
exporters. Why knows!
Yours, respectfully, SIDNEY BREEsE.
-.-,.-- EFFINGuAM, Ill, Jan q, 1861.
HoX. SIDNEY BREEsE-DEAR SIa: Your
letter CT reminder, was duly received. ]
should have SOONER complied with my
promise to give you full account Of the
coffee raised i'll this county, and its mode
Of cultivation, had | no: wished to inform,
myself fUlly upon the matter and also, q
Its real value, before writing Since |
saw you at Springfield, have made full
inquiry OF Mr.. Huffman and of other par
ties, who have raised and tested the srti-
Gle, and have also tested il, partially.
myself, and can row give you as full 4
statement OF its origin, mode Of cultivation,
productiyeness, and qualities, as can be
given from the limited tests il has been
in my power to give it The information
following, has been obtained from Mr..
Huffman, except where otherwise stated
Some three years since Mr. e. L. II uff-
man, Of this county, received a letter from
his son. who has been Ter some time 4
resident of Australia, enclosing THIRTY
If L 81, C-1,.y
India C,t'se, together with directions for
its cultivation; stating tina. it had been
quite extensively aud profitabiy cultivated
there, and was fast superseding all oMe
eefecs
On the 10th Of May. 4 D. 1859. Mr.
Huffman planted these seeds in ordinary
soil, without manure, ll,niing the same
depth as corn, in hills, three feet apart
each way, one seed III a hill and tended
1t with Il hoe, keeping the ground loose
about the plants and clear of weeds. This
crop ripened in August, when he gathered
over ser Mo,Gsand SEEDS as its produce, more
than two hundred to one. OF this pro-
duet he used one third for the purpose of
testing its Usefulness and value, and be-
comming fully satisfied that 1t Was equal
If no superior, To the ordinary Rio Coffee,
planted the remaining seed, the next
season, on the fft,sN A,v Of June. eighteen
inches apart, IN drills, three feet apart, and
tended it the same as corn, blowing it
three times, using a common double shovel
pillow and raised as his second years crop,
over four Cashcls the seed rlDeHnq ptsH.Jsr
! enclose you Il few specimens of the seed
You will perceive. that in appearance, it
10 much like a pea, except that it is
enclosed in kind of husk or skin In
b.
pours boiling water over it. letting it
remain until the skin, o. husk, is loosened
and separates itself from the seed, which
then, III ost generally divides int two parts,
then dries it perfectly. then roasts and
grinds it as other coffee. SIR. Samuel
Mctfit; the Secretary of our Agricultural
Society, County, states to me, that he has
tested 1t in his family, and that he con
siders it fully equal, in flavor, &c, to the
best Rio coffee, and that some members
of his family, who were absent from home
when it was prepared, could pcrceice no
difference Jet,rscn It and tie ordinary coffee
,rhich they hud teen using dQil4 L. L. Kagay,
Esq, an attorney of this place, has also
tested it, and prOuounces equal in flavor,
superior in strength. to the Rio Coffee
prepared some, furnished me by Mr.
Huffman, and used it in my own family
for. two days last week At the first
drawing, We used the same quantity which
we ordinarily use of the Java coffee, and
found it to be much too strong If plea
SAINT cefee-Ake tttror, between (as | though }
that of the Java and Rio cofiees, more
aromatic than the Rio, but So strong as TO
make it rather unpleasant to drink. The
next drawing we made mich weaker, and
found it 10 be, in our opinions, almost
Il .
far as l can tell from the short trial,
another somewhat peculiar property, that
Is, it does not become tut or insiptd from
rebciEng. but If any change, ia.prorts in
flavor and quality. II is hard to give par
tieular statements as to its flavor and
quality, that being so much q matter of
taste.
People, in various parts OF the country,
have been for long time, in the habit of
using various substitutes for coffee, such
rs wheat, rye, corn, CORA, &c, which sonae
pronounce equal TO any coffee. The dis
tinction between these substitutes, and
the coffee In question, might, PERHAPS be
stated as follows: leaving the flavor out
Of the question > {: matter of taste, habit
or use, these former substitutes do not
possess the essential, inyigorating, stimu-
iating and nourishing properties Of the
genuine coffee; while this latter, so far
as ], or others, rho have used it, can tel,
possesses :hem In 4 superior degree, while
the flavor. although differing somewhat
from that OF other coffee, is still a coffee
flavor, easily distinguished as such, and
not easily dis,in gushed from other cotfees
unless by ono who knows what it is, and
is trying 1t for that purpose.
Another thing strikes me as being highly
III.
has been prepared from the fully ripened
seed, while, although do not know,
apprebend, that the other coffees are
gathered and prepared for market in "a
much greener stat". this may have some
effect on the article, should future and
more extended experiments demonstrate
its worthiness of general cultivation
had almost forgotten to state anything
about the plant on which the coffee grows
As near as can father from the deScrip-
tions given me, the plant grows to about
t.senty inches in height, with branches
spreading in every direction from the
ground up, filed with pods. in each of
which pods grOMs one, AID sometimes two
seeds. never more than t.ro. The leaf is
described as resembling that of honey
locust, but much smaller.
have now given, fully as possible
from description. an account of this arti-
Gle OF course it is yet in its infancy; it
may prove valueless, comparatively speak
ing but cannot help think that it is
destined to prove of much greater advan-
tase to the country than anything which
has recently been introduced. not except
ing the Sorghum and Imphee.
! am yours, truly
WILLIAM B. CooPER
P. 81 would state that Mr.. Huffman
is somewhat surprised ut the notoriety
attained by the plant, rs he did not wish
TO introduce it to public notice until after
another season, but only to distribute
E. q