The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1882-02-08
Extracts from the Report of the
Trinidad Botanic Gardens.
(CO7oti,oueG.)

tissue in Liberian Coffee is therefore
about 70 per cent. more than in
Creole or Cofea drdbica.
The general character of the beans
more especially of those received di'
rect from Liberia as compared with
beans of Cofea ara6ica, and varie>
ties, is coarse, dull IN color, and un-
even. sThe bean is of an ovate shape,
with a very wide assure running die
agonaly across its fiat side.
As to weight of bean great deal
of course depends on the state of
dryness. but at the degree it may be
assumed to be fairly marketable,
1000 beans go to the pound, while
ordinary Cofea dra6ic0 beans go
1900 or 1,400 to the pound, at the
same time Liberian Coffee beans can
be easily dried up to 1900 to the
pound.
In all published accounts which
have come under my notice the Lii
berian Coffee has been represented
to be of superior flavor and of much
greater yield than Cotea dro6ica-
so much so that it had become monop-
olAed by American dealers, but from
the earliest notices, nothing has been
said, so far as | am aware, as to the
general character Of the bean as OBJ
famed by careful scientific test. In
the earlier notices, the tree and its
produce were alluded to in general
terms only, and not without exagger-
alton.
Quite recently favorable accounts
as to yield have been received from
Ceylon, but so far do not find any
particulars OF the character of the
bean produced there, but the prices
quoted ior Liberian Coffee sold in
London would imply that it is res
garded as superior.
1t would appear that in America
it Is esteemed by dealers as a good
coffee Tor mlxing-i. G., giving body
to thin favored kinds.
The tests to which it has been
subjected here would indicate it to be
fair coffee, and as such l received
the testimony of the late DR.. 1mray
who paid close attention to the sub
iect OF its cultivation in Dominica.
Beans received direct from Liberia
did not, however, support this charc>
ter of fair and newly gathered beans
produced here were not much BETTER.
only they were of differ ent flavor
being in fact quite green and possess
ing character common to green veg
etable tissue-by no means agreeable.
A sample from the same gathering II
months old however produced very
different results, and justified the
term fair as to quality.
The flavor is very distinctive, and
specially remarkable in its diffusive
and penetrating character, and which
/ imagine constitutes its superiority
in the American market as q "naic.
i'g' coffee.
Flavor and conscience will Of
course vary with circumstances OF
soil, age OF bean, as also of the tree
producing it. In the tests made here
however / have found nothing TO con-
sttUte it superior coffee to the pros
duce OF Cofea dra6ico and varieties.
Further, the samples tested were dis
tinctly deficient in the fine piquant
aromatic flavor characteristic OF Moka,
and the fine Trinidad creole cot
iee-which however is inferior to
none the world produces.
Information bearing on the flavor
OF the Liberian Coffee, as we'll as on
the geographical distribution of the
L. coffee plant was voluntarily cons
municated to me by an intelligent
old African whose early life was
passed in the.Mozambique-East Ais
RIGA. He was engaged cleaning a
sample OF Liberian coffee and pro.
ceeded to remark IN a pleasant tone
to which he was evidently aroused
by having to deal with "home" ma
terial "plenty OF this coffee grows in
my country, but the people don't like
it too much, Portuguese and French
people come from the ship and take
the berries, make the children pick
them and carry them away, my
country people don't use them il they
can get the other quality" (CofeC
draJica) and then putting his hant
on tray OF nutmegs hard by, he re-
marked my country got plenty o
these TOO, but people don't bother
to pick them up because there arr
too many all about" Now as Nut
megs and Cloves are known 10 b,
< shipped from the Mozambique quar-
q