Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1872-11-23
WHAT lS SAID ABOUT UvfI.EE,

The coffee tree came originally from
Africa where from time immemorial it
has been cultivated on the declivities Of
Abyssinia that slope toward the Red
Sea. About the fifteenth century,
something like four hundred years ago,
the coffee tree crossed this sea and
penetrated into Arabia, where it has
since been cultivated, and whence cs-
pecially we get the famous coffee of
Mocha. The use of coffee spread very
early and with great rapiaity in tho
East. Itpenetrated Europe much more
slowly, and it was first taken into
France at Marseilles
Coffee was first drunk in Paris in
1867. The seeds which furnished it
were brought i'll small quantity by
French traveller named Thevenot. Two
years afterward, in 1869. Soloman Aga,
Ambassador of the Sublime Porte in the
time of Louis XIV, induced the co,1r-
tiers of that great king to taste it,
and they found it very agreeable. How
ever, its use did not spread for long
time. 1t was not until the eighteenth
century that it begun to be generally
used. In fact it is scarcely century
and half since it became an article of
general consumption by the people of
Europe.
During many years Europe remained
tributary to Arabia for this commodity.
All the coffee consumed in Europe came
from Arabia, and particularly from,
Mocha. Toward the commencement of
the eighteenth century the Dutch at.
tempted to import it into Batavia, one
of their colonies in the Indian Archi-
pelago. They succeeded very we'll.
From Batavia some stocks were taken
to Holland and put in hot house,
where they succeeded equally we'll.
One of these stalks was brought to
France toward ITO, and was placed in
the conservatory of the Jardin des
Plantes, and there also it prosrered
and gave growth to a number Of sprouts.
In 172O or 1925, 1--WE rave not been
able to find the precise date) an officer
of the French Navy, CAPTAIN Des ,lieu-,
thought that, since Holland had culti-
waited coffee at Batavia, he might also
acclimate it in our colonies of the Gulf
of Mexico. When embarking for Mar
Unique, he took from the Jardin des
Plantes three stalks of coffee, and car
ried them with him. The voyage was
long and difficult. by reason of the
contrary winds. The supply of water
proving insufficient, it was necessary to
put the crew on rations, Captain Des-
el!eux, like the others had but small
quantity of water to drink each day.
He divided it with his coffee plants.
Notwithstanding all his care, two
died on the passage; only one arrived
safe and sound at Martinique. Put at
once into the earth, il prospered SO
much and so well that from it have de-
scended all the coffee trees now spread
over the Antilles and tropical America.
Twenty years after, our Western colo
nies exported millions of pounds of cot-
fee. You see the coffee tree starting
from Africa, has reached the extremity
of Asia on the cas-. and America on the
west. Hence it has nearly travelled
round the world. Now in this long
voyage. coffee has become modified.
Passing by the tree of which we know
SO little, let us consider the seed. We
need not be growers to know the differ
ent qualities of coffee and their differ
ent production. Nobody would con-
found Mocha with Bourbon, Rio Jan
eiro with Martinique. Each of these
seeds carries in its form, in its proper
ton, in it's aroma, the certificate, so to
say, of it's birth. Whence came these
changes? We connot know the GER
tainty, and explain the why and the
how, and follow vigorously the fliation
of cause and effect; but, considering
the phenomena as whole, it becomes
evident that it is to difference of tenn
perature, of climate, of culture, that
all these notifications are due.
This example taken from vegetables,
shows that if we transport to consider
able distances different specimens OF
the same vegetable. placing them iirdif-
ferent conditions of cultivation, we OBJ
tain different varieties. And tea, trans
ported some years ago into tropical
Americ would present us with like facts.
-pODulGr Science M)nfhIy. n