The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-11-13
$3.50 80 Ef'ssl 49, 49, -,s----5--=-..-
GUATEMALA.
COFFEE GROWING THE GREAT
INDUSTRY IN HATcOUNTRY.
Americans Take to Coffee Culture-Ger-
mans Grabbing Some Fine Countrywide
on the Great Coffee Estates-Among the
Advantages OF Life In Cuban Districts.
Continued from End Col.

resembling the JessamIne snapo a1ra ..a-
GRANGE The fruit which succeeds the BIOS
som looks very much like a ripe cranberry.
Each dark red berry contains two oval
seeds. which are convex on one side and fla.
on the other, and lie together face to face.
separated only by thin veil of parchment
Sometimes only one seed forms, and in process
OF growth, as it pushes itself against the.
dividing membrane and encounters no OPP
position. it naturally rounds over and be-
comes the queer little bean known to the
trade as "peaberry." To secure the proper
growth of the coffee plenty of shade is re-
qufred. To reach this result, on some fncas
the bushes are set out several feet apart,
and between them shade or fruit trees are
planted; on others bananas. When these
rules are not followed the coffee trees ara.
placed close together, and when fully growr
their tops fntermingle, making a solid body
OF dark foliage, shutting out every ray OF
sunlight from the ground, but with less prof.
table results than in the usual way.
An Average Crop.
am informed that the average crop of tho
average Guatemalan plantation is about 1900
quintals year. One plantation near the port
of Champerico has $780, 900 trees and exports
from $4,000 to 10000 bags Of coffee every year
Most OF these planters are rich and have COM
plete machinery, some of them the latest
and Rest. with steam power. The works.
estate as possible, and running stream near
such location is considered Of great bere-
tit, for plenty Of water saves labor, they say,
and makes more Stylish coffee. After
the berries have been picked and carried to
the factory they are run through a PULLING
machine, stream of water passing through
the hopper with the berries. The machine
breaks the pulp and separates the berry.
after which the pulp is carried off and spread
around the trees for ''dressing." The berry
Is discharged from a spout into a reser-
Voir, which has a cemented bottom incloseu
by nasonry-a water-tight wall about two
feet high. Water lis run through with the
coffee, and when sufficiently washed the water
Is drawn off, leaving the beans to dry in the
sun. Afterward they are put through a
machine which breaks the skin and winnows
it clean from chaff and dirt. Next it is all
picked over by hand, every berry assorted
according to it's quality, making usually
three or four grades in one crop. Then it
Is bagged, sold on the spot to some exporter,
and transported to the nearest shipping port
IN carts or on the backs of Indians. The labor
is all accomplished by Indians, the men
working the land, the women and girls pick
Ing the berries and doing the work in the
mills. In, parts of the country whore little
coffee is grown the rulp.ng Is all done by
hand, by Indian women 1t is then dried and
sold In parchment thatis, the berry re :.
mains incased in its membranous skin until
q factory in which it can be perfected fer mar
ket. The curing of coffee is of vital i'm
portance as in it the foundation is laid for
fine quality and perfection of aroma: and
when the bean, by improper treatment be-
comes stained or discolored, its drinking
qualities have been proportionatcly dam
aged.
Guatemalan ooffees seem to have a wide
range of value in their drinking merits, Al
though the "style' and appearance Of the
bean may be about the same. The bulk o.
the crop is exported to London and Ham,
burg, little going to the United States. ami
that being of the third or fourth quality.
San Jose and Champerico are it's principal
shipping ports, the best coming from the
place last named, because the finest coffee
OF the country grows in that neighbcrhocG.
Coffee buyers in Guatemala find end Of
obstacles to overcome. In the first place, t.lc
conditions must be carefully studied in ords.
to understand the quality of coffee is
buying. Only small part Of the crop is
purchasable on any terms, as many OF tkp
large plantations are owned by parties Il
Europe, to whom all of the coffee is shipped.
While most of the planters who are able to-
move their crops prefer to consign the goods
to their own correspondents, and take their
chances with the market. This class of plant
ers will not sell their coffee to strangers ex-
cept at fabulous price. What is more strange,
there is never bag of coffee in any city
Or shipping port for sale; neither can sam
pie be seen. The purchasable coffee is found
only on the plantations, where the whole
crop must be bought Gin parchment" or an
advance Of cash made to enable the planter
to have the coffee miled and graded; bags
must also be furnished him, and money 10
transport to the shipping point. These things
combined make it hazardous business for the
foreigner, and spoil all our fine plans of pre-
senting our friends with bags of coffee, picked
here and there in Guatemala. '.
FANNIE BRIGHAM WARD.