Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-09-06
EXPORTING COFFEE.
THE JOURNEY FROM THE BRAZILIAN
ORCHARD TO THE OCEAN.

ONCWSNo W IVt oScSN.
The Favssi,s As.ssssss Brsshssss Bsvss-
-. rsdsrsses Mssy Experiences ps-
ssrs 10 Csssss nsfsrs rs ust ssd
s,ss.siss-H the nesvy IL sss~ssd.
Coffee u not shrub. ~ IL generally
supposed, but . tree. which. II allowed
10 40 untrimmei. would attain twenty
feet OF more In height. but which II gen.
,rally kept down To eight or ten feet for
convenisncs In picking. A grove can
Us started by burying the berries OF
from slips. The latter are preferable
placed about six feet apart, aud those
plants which have been taken from the
nursery with considerable earth around
their roots will bear fruit In two years,
though their full yield 10 not attained
under four years. II IL calculated that
100 thrifty trces will yield ON fair
average s,?o0 pounds Of cofie. PER an.
mum. bat In soIns parts Of Han Psulo
provines ths yield Is ~ high - $50
pouniA There Arc two anil sometime.
thrcs harvests 10 . year. but after fifteen
90 twessy years thu old trees must h.
cut down to give place 30 new ones.
When fully rips the berry u about the
sire, shAps and color % . large cram
berry. Tho tough rel skin inclo-es two
grain. az seeds. The old way II prrp,r.
ing Il for market. siill much used in
Brazil. was ~ follows: When the berries
aave acquired rich blood rel they arc
picked into bags by the negroes, twenty.
thrcs pounds being considered . fair
days work for one picker. The bags
sro than ,piiod on the terrrno OF dry.
ing place. which IL generally level
pi-c. ~ ground beaten smooth OF COW
cred with cement. After few day. In
the sun tho outer skin becomes black.
hard AMI shriveled. and then the berries
Ars pounded In huge wooden mor'ars
until tho skins ars broken without In.
jurins tho tough grains
by sitting. ths skins and grains are
xparate,l and thu latter are again spread
oat In the sun until the psllicle envelop
ins each grain IL dry ~ dust. Then
they ara again subjected % the mortars
and tb. winnowins fan. and are ready
for .ais or immediate consumption.
The improved method now In vogue on
tho w.aithier estates consists In drying
thu freshly PICKED grains on wooden
trays or pavcm.n.s. BY which they
s-cAve tho earthly favor acquired when
dEi.li On III. lars ground. and the outer
AMI inner cuv-loprs are removed by
passing them through two mills.
Ths main feature of the frst mill u
horizontal copper cylinder. who~s sur.
faco IL rougheued after the manner OF a
ras,. II rc,olves against hoard. b--
tween which and the teeth space IL left
Tor tn. grains 10 pass. but not tho husk.,
The gIa!ns drup into water and are left
IA snlx twelve hoars, In which time the
pirvhinentlixs flm that envelop- each
seci IL roiienri. They are spread oa.
Again ON trays In the sun. and when
thoroughly dry are pA~Aed through tho
second MIL. which resembles thoss used
for grinding plaster. except that the
two vertical rolling disks are OF wood.
air feet In diameter and i've inche.
iaick. their lIsAi weight abrading the
palllclss without injuring the grains.
Iasn ths tanner IA brought into requisi-
lion sni the bsrrie. ne put In bags for
transportation.
The freight ou q sack ~ coffee us
ooun..s, 70 about one cent Per mile:
therefore, cofYee coming from the end
of the Dom Pedro II railway must pay
In the neighborhccd Of four dollars the
sack for transportation 10 the shipping
,uint-cne-,hiri Of its value when de
livcrsd In Rio. From Rio 20 New York
The freight rarely exceeds sixty cents .
sack, ari IL IL often ~ low as twenty.
Eve ccu.s. Thus fifty miles OF railroad
carriage In the country where II grows
costs more than 5000 miles of ocean.
Many Of the planters siill send their
coffee to market by mule train. consii.
srlng thai the cheaper way Of transpor.
tation.
The entrance into Santos Of mule
train from the interior u something
worth seeing. The train is always pre-
ce,ied by o white horse wearing string
II bells. and the mule. obedicntly follow
The lea.ier. Sometimes troops OF several
hundred arrive In morning. and again
there are weeks when none APPEAR.
Every mule brings two bags Of coffee ON
his back. Having made long. slow Jour
neys, ofien hundreds Of mile. the ant
mals nre pitiabls looking objects when
their burdens are removed. for the con.
slant saving Of the loads has not only
abra..ei the skin. bat In many instances
ground OF the hesh TO the bone.
The bags are dumped In huge p'les In
tho custom house yards. and around
them carsadores Immediately collect
Ike swarms Of black bees. There IL an
export duty TO pay. and every bag must
be pierced and o sample withdrawn In
order 10 determine the quality and the
duty thereon. The tarn. based on the
market price. Il regulated anew every
Saturday.
The sampling instrument Is brass
tube. shaped exactly Ike Zen. When
the point 10 pushed into . sack Of coffee
the berries run down through the tube,
anal after handful has been distracted
the instrument IL withdrawn and it,
,oint turned over like crochet hook.
Tins closins the opening. heoperation
occupies only . few seconds. and the
.samples" taken out amount to many
tors In the course of a year. They, to-
gs,hsr with all samples Of exported sug.
ars. are presented To the lere-' hospital.
The gangs Of cargadores employed In
"to,ing- the coffee away from the Gus
tom house and loading II upon waiting
vessels are feature Of Santos. Naked.
except frou waist TO knees, their choco.
late colored hides glisten in the sun and
their well cultivated muscles stand out
like whipccrds. Each gang has its lead.
or. generally the tallest and most pow
erful negro among them. who carries
rattle. to the music of which his follow
ers keep step In rapid jog trot. singing
q low, monotonous song meanwhile In
words % us unintelligible. Sometimes
| this rattle gives place TO . small fag.-
| Cor. Providence Journal.
II