The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-08-20
COFFEE GROWING

WA6l1lNA1IOsNG " ~ NAenNt1s -
The fact that coftee Is readily grown In
oil the islands now coming under con-
troll Of the United States lends interest
to some figures of the treasury bureau
OF statistics, which show that coffee. last
year, was the greatest item in our Inn
ports, and that the years importatIons
OF that article were the greatest In our
history. Puerto Rico and Hawaii have
for years grown fine grade OF coffee,
Cuba formerly producedg 1t in large
quantities and the Philippine islands
have for years had a reputation OF
producing a grade OF coffee equalling
that OF Java and even comparing raw
orabIy with Arabla's world-famed MO-
cha. The United States has been Tor
years the largest coffee using country
in the world, our purchases since 1880
having averaged ninety millions OF
dollars per annum In vaiue, but 1t was
reserved for the fiscal year 1898 to snow
the largest imports OF conee IN OUT
history, bringing the average per CAPT.
IA consumption among our populaloh
up to the highest point ever known.
year 1898, iust ended. were SIO,5l4,2lb
bounds. which Is nearly 20 per cent
greater than in 1897, 90 per cent greater
than In 1888, practically double that OF
1850 and more than three times that OF
1874, Deductlng the explorations which
amounted to 1882, 500 pounds, the con-
sumption Of the fiscal year 1898 would
stand at eleven and fve-tenths pounds
per capita against nine and nine-tenths
in 1897, eight and two-tenths in 1888,
seven and eluht-tenths 10 1880, six and
nIne-tenths In 1877, five and one one
hundredth IN 1867, four and nlne-tenths
in 1866. three and seVen-tenths In 1854,
and two and two-tenths In 1858. The
war period Of 1876 showed the lowest
per capIta consumption OF coffee IN our
history, desuite the large use OF this
article in the army, while the brief war
period OF 1898 caused no dlmlnution in
the imports, the total for April, May
and June being 245 million pounds,
against 1893 million In the corresponding
months Of the preceding year.
Recent ImpOrtatIOnS.
The large importation Of coffee during
the year just ended was probably due
In some degree to Its phenomenally low
price, the average value OF the years
Imports being seven and fourteenth
cents per pound against an average Of
eleven cents last year, fourteen and
sixtenths In 1896. and sixteen and four
tenths In 1895. The quotations to the
bureau OF statistics report the whole
sale price OF Rio No. z, a standard
grade for quotations, from i've and one
half u seven and one-half cents In the
New York markets in the fiscal year
1898, AGAINST nine and one-half cents
per pound In 1897, eleven and one-half
in 1894 and eighteen and one-half In
1893 It may be added, however, that
while prices have greatly fallen In re-
cent years, the introduction Of ma
chinery, the cheapening Of freight rates
and the general Improved facilities for
production and transportation still
leave to producers, It is said, comfort
able margin OF profit, especially in bet
ter grades Of coffee.
The total value Of the coffee imported
into the United States in the fiscal
year 1888 was, despite the low prices Of
the year. S65, O67, 56l, against $780, $50 in
1888; S51,9l4,6O5 In 1873; $25,2SS,45t in
1858; SIS, $40 In 1858. and $S,249,9s7 in
1913. Thus the money sent abroad for
coffee in the year Just ended Is eight
times that Of half century ago, and
nearly three times that of 1858. The cost
of the coffee imported into the United
States during the past ten years has
been $S75, 1924, these figures being the
prices paid in the foreign markets at
the port OF expectation. Thus 1t appears
in the decade Just ended there has gone
out OF the country an average OF $751;
100000 per annum for an article which
may be successfully grown in all the is
lands now coming under the jurisdic-
ton Of the United States.
We Consume One.hAIE
Practically one-half OF the coffee
grown in the world now comes to the
United States. The latest estimates
put the ooffee production of the world
at LOGO, 900 pounds per anuum. while
as shown above, the imports into the
Unlted States last year, were more
than half that amount. OF the total
coffee production OF the world about
two-thirds is grown IN Brazil, where an
export duty OF II per cent is placed on
every pound OF coffee exported. The
other third OF the worlds production
which Is grown outside OF Brazil. Is
scattered around the world In the belt
extending to the thirtleth degree on
each side OF the equator, the most sue
cessful locations being well waterad
mountain slopes from 1000 to 1000 feet
above the sea level. The requisites for
coffee production are found In all Of
the Islands now likely to come under
control OF the United States, while the
fact that Brazil, the great coffee pro-
Queer Of the world, places an export
duty on all coffee exported. operates to
the advantage OF those desiring to en-
ter upon the production OF this article,
either for home consumption or for
competition IN the markets OF the world.
Puerto Rico has for years produced
considerable coffee, this being her most
Important export and amounting to
from twenty-five to thirty million
pounds per annum. Mr.. +. 3. Thurber.
a well known authority on this subject
In this book, Coffee, From Plantation
10 Cup" SAYS: puerto Rico furnishes
n coffee that Is in great favor In Spain
and in Italy and also on the island OF
Cuba. The cultivation is carried on
largely in the provinces Of Mayaguez.
Ponce, Guayanilla. Aguadilla, Arecibo
and st. Johns In flavor this ranks as
mild coffee.
In Cuba, Hawaii and Philippine.
The coffee producing possibilities in
Cuba arc said to be very great Mr..
Thomas r. Dawley, jr.. says in the
1897 volume OF the american Annual
Cyclopedia": Coffee was n one time
the principal source Of Cuba's wealth.
In the early part OF the present century
ninety-one million pounds OF coffee
were produced In Cuba in single
year. representing a money value OF
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