The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1888-02-04

Il. History and Elsewhere tits Crown.

fGluIC lI0CuAil SifNb ~ iOAs A~N'S
before the Cooper Medical Institute of
this city on the origin, history and use
of the coffee plant:
"In searching for the origin of cof-
fee, said Prof. Lane, authors have
agreed To assign It's birthplace to
Ethiopia. When it was carried to
Arabia it soon became naturalized.
In search for the earliest mention of
it, one writer, inspired with that rev
erence which has sought to find out
all things in the sacred book, assures
US That coffee is mentioned in the his
tory of King David, where it is stated
that this was the potion which was
offered by the hands of fair Abigail to
calm the excited monarch. The proof
urged IN favor of this biblical claim is
that the drink offered was prepared
from something roasted"
"While visiting Paris" continued
the lecturer, II was agreeably surprised
to find in a museum portion of III
original coffee shrub which was
brought to France. Probably no
more precious sample of this berry
exists in the world. Coffee, ct the
time of its introduction into use, was
very expensive, selling from $50 to
$35 u pound. Such price led to Its
general cultivation, and soon, instead
OF being the monopoly of Arabia,
whence it was first derived, it was
grown in the East and West Indies,
Central and South America, and now
large amounts of it are grown in Java,
Ceyion, Mexico, Guatemala, Cosa
RIGA and Brazil. The production of
the latter country is the largest, being
about 100000 quintals Annually, one
sack generally holding about one
quintal. While coffee can only be
cultivated in warm climate, yet 1t
cannot bear great heat. The seed is
first planted in cool, shady nursery,
the infant plants being scrupulously
screened from the rays of the sun. 1t
Is next transplanted to the fields des-
tined for its growth, and there it is
carefully cultivated for nearly five
years before the product is sufficiently
abundant To be remunerative. The
snruU usually reaches hight of from
, to 10 feet, and is we'll covered with
leaves of dark, glossy green. Small
flowers OF snow-white color spring
from tho stem at the foot of the leaf
When Ia full bloom the appearance is
exceedingly charming. The flowers
are soon transformed into round, green
berries, which. ripeuing. presen: the
appearance of red cherries. From
two to three crops of mature berries
may he gathered annually. The work
of preparing the berries for the market
is done partly by hand and partly by
machinery. Each berry should have
two grains on it, yet sometimes but
one is found, and this one is especial
~ priced and commands the highest
price. The pulp of the berry is sweet
to the taste.
"a chemical analysis of coffee, after
being burned. shows that it contains
90 per cent. of water and about 90 per
cent of cellulose-a substance resem-
bling starch-and grape sugar. The
agents which especially distinguish it
are caffeine and coffeone. The former
belongs to that group of chemical
agents named alkaloids. Coffeone is
volatile oil, the result of an essential
change in coffee produced by roasting
To this subtle and fugitive principle
the aroma of coffee is due, and in
roasting this oil permeates the entire
grain; but If the heat be too great or
continued too long, it is dissipated
and lost. Experiments show that
caffeine and coffeone have different
effects on the animal body, the caffeine
acting as transient stimulant, while
the co6eeone is more prolonged ia its
effects aud exercises sedative or
tranquillizing action. Butin drinking
an ordinary cup of coffee. these two |
actions are obtained, stimulating pre-
ceding for 10 minutes the stage of |
ISOLATION or repose.
Coffee lssens tissue waste. Phvs. |
icians have found that, among other
articles, coffee temporarily arrests and |
stays this change. Coffee has aIother
action-tbat of stimulating the facul-
ties. The soldiers of the French army |
fought better 10 Syria and Egypt be-
cause they received coffee among their
rations, and TO authors and scientists
1t has been an untold blessing. Ger
tain evils, too, may arise from its oveI-
use, such as insomnia and palpitation
of the heart. Children should not be
allowed to drink it freely, because as
Savarin says, it dries them up, and