The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-09-10
EXPORTING COFFEE.
THE JOURNEY FROM THE BRAZILIAN
ORCHARD TO THE OCEAN,

ako NhutiE"ch NhNh9 Experiences ise-
fore It Comes Before Us Hot and
steaming-How the Berry Is Secured.
Coffee is not a shrub, as is generally
supposed, but n tree, which, il allowed
70 go untrimmed, would attain twenty
feet or more in height, but which is gem
orally kept down to eight or ten feet for
convenience in picking. A grove can
be started by burying the berries or
from slips. The latter are preferable
placed about six feet apart, and 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 is not attained
under four years. 1t is calculated that
1000 thrifty trees will yield on fair
average 5000 pounds of coffee per an
mum, but in some parts Of San Paulo
province the yield is as high as $500
pounds. There are two and sometimes
three harvests to year, but after fifteen
or twenty years the old trees must bo
cut down to give place to new ones.
When fully ripe the berry is about the
size, shape and color Of large cram
berry. The tough red skin incloses two
grains or seeds. The old way of prepar-
ing it for market, still much used in
Brazil, was as follows: When the berries
have acquired rich blood red they are
picked into bags by the negroes, twenty
three pounds being considered fair
days work for one picker. The bags
are then enptied on the terreno or dry
ing place, which is generally a level
piece of ground beaten smooth or COW
cred with cement. After few days in
the sun the outer skin becomes black,
hard and shriveled, and then the berries
are pounded in huge wooden mortars
until the skins are broken without in
juring the tough grains.
By sitting, the skins aud grains are
separated and the latter are again spread
out in the sun until the pellicle envelop-
ing each grain is dry as dust. Then
they are again subjected to the mortars
and the winnowing fan, and are ready
for sale or immediate consumption.
The improved method now in vogue on
the wealthier estates consists in drying
the freshly picked grains on wooden
trays or pavements, by which they
escape the earthly flavor acquired when
dried on the bare ground, and the outer
and inner envelopes are removed by
passing them through two mills.
The main feature of the first mill is a
horizontal copper cylinder, whose sur
face is roughened after the manner of a
rasp. 1t revolves against board, be-
tween which and the teeth space is left
for the grains to pass, but not the husls.
The grains drop into water and are left
to soak twelve hours, in which time the
parchmentlike film that envelops each
seed is softened. They are spread out
again on trays in the sun, and when
thoroughly dry are passed through the
second mill, which resembles those used
for grinding plaster, except that the
two vertical rolling disks are of wood
six feet in diameter and five inches
thick, their light weight abrading the
pellicles without injuring the grains.
Then the tanner is brought into requisi.
ton and the berries are put in bags fol
transportation.
The freight ON a sack Of coffee (13S
, pounds) is about one cent per mile
therefore, coffee coming from the END
Of the Dom Pedro II railway must pay
r in the neighborhood of four dollars the
sack for transportation to the shipping
/ point-one-third of its value when de
iivered in Rio. From Rio to New Yorl
the freight rarely exceeds sixty cents {
/, sack, and it is often as low as twenty
! five cents. Thus fifty miles of railroad
carriage in the country where it grow
@ costs more than 5000 miles of ocean
@ Many of the planters still send thei
v coffee to market by mule train, consid
ering that the cheaper way of transpor
d tation.
d The entrance into Santos Of null
$ train from the interior is something
!. worth seeing. The train is always Pre-
+ ceded by white horse wearing strin
y of bells, and the mules obediently folloy
the leader. Sometimes troops of severa
d hundred arrive in a morning, and agai
l. there are weeks when none appear
II Every mule brings two bags of coffee o
: his back. Having made long, slow joui
g neys, often hundreds Of miles, the an
mails are pitiable looking objects whe
their burdens are removed, for the cor
% slant saving of the loads has not onl
le abraded the skin, but in many instance
o. ground off the flesh to the bone,
Sc The bags are dumped in huge piles
10 the custom house yards, and aroun
VI them cargadores Immediately cole,
sr like swar1ns Of black bees. There is a
" export duty to pay, and every bag mu
" be pierced and sample withdrawn
Us order to determine the quality and Il
Ks duty thereon. The tariff based on Il
10 market price, is regulated anew ever
9' Saturday.
~ The sampling instrument is bra
.l'e ne tube, shaped exactly like pen. Wh'
III the point is pushed into a sack Of coff
y, the berries run down through the tub
III and after handful has been abstract'
lu the instrument is withdrawn and
1T point turned over like a crochet hoo
'o- thus closing the opening, The operate
n- occupies only a few seconds, and q
IN. samples" taken out amount TO mai
.lu tons in the course of "a year. They I
ke gether with all samples of exported su
ys ars, are presented to the lepers' hospiti
lss The gangs of cargadores employed
Ter "toting" the coffee away from the CT
re- tom house and loading it upon waitil
ou vessels are a feature Of Santos. Make
iu' except from waist to knees, their choC
pa late colored hides glisten in the sun Al
ne their well cultivated muscles stand o
To- like whipcords. Each gang has its lea
ar er, generally the tallest and most po
erful negro among thell, who carries
rattle, to the music OF which his folio
ers keep step in a rapid jos trot, singh
by a low, monotonous song meanwhile
s a words to US unintelligible. Sometin
ne. the rattle gives place to a small flag
at- Cor. Providence journal.