Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-16

great many il is Of 50 great innporta n.t.
to them that without it they viii refus
Il breakfast.
IS Augusta city Of levers of coffee ?
Well rather. The merchants deal o,,t
to their customers eve: 5000 pounds f
coffee every year. These figures are
made from the statements of the
%rocers Of Augusta. and the whole cut
down about 25,o0o pounds to allow for
over estimation.
These 10000 pounds al say 30 cents a
pound. as there is quite an amount OF
cheap, as we'll as the high price coffee
sold. will make the amount that is paid
by the people for the coffee alone about
$22,3 Then there Is the cream or
milk that is used in the coffee. al
though many use neither
Suppose that tWo-thiris of the paopln
of the city drink coffee that would be
5000 people. ard if they average one
cup Of coffee each day. there will Ne
100000 cups each year. which would
b. equal to about 50 cups to each pound
of coffee, ard that is an economical
basis, 50 a good housewife says.
Reckon the milk or cream IN one cup
OF coffee az, raging III price one-thlrd
of a cent. or Is cents to each pound Of
coffee. The whole amount for tha
Tactical fluid would be $9733.33 q
Sugar that is used in the coffee is
cheap. but suppose each cup of coffee
contained one-siXth of one cents worth
Of sugar, which is reckoning 80 spoons
full to each pound. In the whole mum
Der OF cups Of coffee the sugar would
cost S4S66 Sc rs
Add the three amounts and the re-
suit is S37 100. To that amount add the
wear and tear to the china and the
coffee pots the soap used in washing
the same,ard whatever other incident al
things one can think Of and the grand
total Will be what Augusta people pay
fer the beverage in one year.
Reckoning eight cups to n quart. as
an good housewives do. there would BE-
$4,000 quarts, or 1880 gallons Of the
beverage drank during the course of q
year, i'll the little city that graces the
banks of the kennebec.
And now what : coffee? Everyone
has seen it, and knows that il is dark
in color, aud the beam as seen in the
commercial form, resembles the meat
OF a peanut broken in halves. Every
one knows also. that the odor Of the
coffee, especially after it is ground. is
better even than the taste of the con-
coction made of the coffee that all love
so well,
In" cote" tree IS a native of AbyS-
Sinia and Arabia, but now naturalized
in many of the tropical countries
There are many species Of the tree. but
this kind that produces the berry fo.'
our own favorite drink is known to
possess valuable properties.
In state Of cultivation the tree is
seldom allowed to grow more than ~
feet high, although when Wild it often
grows to the height IF % feet Nhcn
cultivated it is made t" assume q SORT
Of pyramidal form with horizontal
nranF hes almost from the grs una. me
| leaves are evergreen, very Shlnin@,
oblohG ana quit" te3theEN me flowers
are small, Clus teft d IN tn" axis OF the
leaves. ard snow white. 1t is sad thAt
the smell cf the flower is very agree
able.
The fruit when rirc is Of dark scar
let colCr. and the seeds are semi
elliptic and very hard.
The tree thtlNeS only in countries
where the average tempera ture of the
year IS about 64-O degrees f.
Coffee plantations are laid out N
QuadranSles, bordered by fruit trees.
the coffee trees standing in rows.
Where the climate is dry abundant
Irrigation is necessary, but the supply
is cut eff as the fruit begins to rapen N
order to improve the quality The tree
yields its first crop in the third year
The crop of full grown tree varies
from one To III pounds. but II Is sell
dom harvested all at once. as the tire"
is in blossom eight months in the year.
The beans. as the fruit is called. are
placed on mats where they are dried III
the sun rays nelts hleahWhiit l't-
quentIy turned. They are passed be-
| tween rollers to remove the dried pulp
/ of the bean and the membrane which
| incloses the seeds themselves. Then
| the seeds are winnowed and carried TO
| the SedpoftS III paSa'
| When the beans are roasted till they