Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-04-28
TROPICALCOFFEE CULTURE
THENUTRIT1oUs BERRY AS FOUND
IN COSTA RIGA.

How the Fruit is Prepared for Com
merce, and the Great Extent OF
the Industry.
Coffee constitutes the chief article Of
commerce of Central America, and is in
consequence the real SQUIRE of wealth.
The climate and soil of this section
this neck of land joining the great
Northern and Southern continents are
eminently adapted to its cultivation, the
high lands producing qualities rivaling,
If not equa ing, in flavor the famous
brands of Mocha or Java. Costa Rica
and Guatemala take the lend in Central
America, their average yearly yield being
almost the same.
Near the hot springs and in the village
of Aqua Caliente, Costa Rica, is the
plantation in which the most approved
machinery for the preparation Of coffee
for the foreign market has lately been
set up. The visitor, mounted on the
good steed, which has carried him into
and out of many dangers sinceh he began to
make his tour of discovery, rides slowly
through the hacienda along road bor-
dered with oranges and lemons, the
snowy blossoms of the oranges mingling
their delicious fragrance with the faint
odor exaled by the few waxen stars left
nesting under the evergreen foliage Of
the coffee trees Before reaching the
building in which the coffee passes
through the preparatory state the path is
lined with the drying patios, awide slop-
ing terrace paved with cement of so hard
a nature as to present the appearance of
Thoon
patios we're all well filed with the ber-
ries, and men armed with an instrument
resembling an enormous wooden rake,
were engaged in turning over the red
dening mass.
An enormous tank of solid masonry
was more than half full of berries, large
and red, almost exactly resembling cram
berries. After soaking for some hours
they are conveyed to the pulper, cylin-
der which slowly revolves and separates
the outer skin from the seed. After the
process of fermentation the berries are
dried in the patio, care being taken to
keep them we'll shaken in order that the
drying may be thorough. The seeds
then pass into machine which removes
the gossamer-like coating and sets the
two halves of the berry free; then through
another machine, whose graduated roll
lers separate the coffee into the different
qualities, the large, full grains being
known as the first class, and so on
through all the gradations, each variety
finding its way to its own special recep-
tacle. The first grade of Costa Rica cof-
fee is large, full bodied berry of gray
ish color, ranking in the foreign markets
without superior. The inferiority of the
lower grades may be detected even by
the most inexperienced eye at glance.
The traveller was struck with the vast
difference in the berries as they came
through the last machine, having found
all the big red fruit alike in the handful
he had picked up from the outer patio.
In Costa Rica banana trees are placed
at intervals in the long rows of coffee
shrubs in order to shield the Iipening
berries from too great heat aud rain, the
broad leaves furnishes just the amount
of shelter required. Greater climatic
extremes can he endured by this tree
than by almost any other of the vegeta-
BILE kingdom, as it thrives in localities
varying as much as thirty degrees. II
averages in some localities no more
than eight or ten feet in height. In
others It attains growth Of twenty feet.
The foliage is dark green, luxuriant,
smooth and glossy, losing nothing by
the change of season. 1t blossoms all
tho year round, and at any times the
delicate waxen loveliness of its blossoms
and the deepening red of its clustering
berries may be seer. 1t is raised in
nurseries from the seed, and is trans
planted when about six months old,
bearing in from two to four years, and
under favorable circumstances yielding
for twenty years. The plants are placed
from eight to ten feet apart, and the
average yearly yield Of single tree is
from two to three pounds. The traveller,
never having gone deeper into the mat
ter Of coffee than the grounds in his cup,
was surprised to learn that each innocent
little berry consists of no less than five
distinct parts-the outer skin, soft
pulp adhering to the covering, third
coating Of a saccharine character, then q
tough, yellowish white envelope, easily
removable by friction, then q silvery
gossamer like film, and then the two
parts OF the grain laid face to face
within all these coverings.
The wondering pilgrim thought that
he had gazed upon the last scene in the
strange, eventful history of coffee, to
find out his mistake when the courteous
haciendado conducted him back through
the pleasant orange scented road to the
dwelling house to view with awe the
final process. Behind the house is an
immense patio covered with drying cof-
fec and tanks full Of the berry ON
draught. A wide gallery encloses this
patio on two sides, under its shelter be-
ing placed long, slightly sloping tables,
piled with the coffee which the pilgrim
had thought to be quite ready for mar
ket. At equal distances on the inner
sides of these tables were seated women
of all ages and sizes, apparently engaged
on account Of their possession OF swift
fingers, for to them was intrusted the task
OF picking over, berry by berry, the con-
tents OF the huge ancka already filled BY
machinery in the other building. Re.
membering the amount Of a mans an
nual cron, the traveller was for moment
overcome with the task-20. 900, 900
....,Ie - noffaa awnortad In 0nn vaar