Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-05-23
~ few figures Will emphasize these
statements:
ANNUAL CONSUMPTION OF COZ
FEE PER UNIT OF POPULA-
TION.

Denmark 80. ...............l 10. i3
United states ....... ...... ......1i. As
beieiufn. ....... ..-......... IL 60
SWlt%etiahd. 49,. ........ ....... 90
germany ...- ........ .......-. f.Si
Austria Hungary 49,. ...... -. 200
ltalN ............... .O5
Great Britain. ....-. .............. .6S
Spain -. ....... Observation-Disclosures. SO
On the other hand. Great Britain
consumes, per unit OF population. $50
pounds of tea Annually: Australia, the
same amount, ana Canada. 4.37 pounds
while the annual consumption OF tea in
the United states. per unit of popula-
ton takinG the importation for the
year 1885 as n basis. is only .9l pounds
Theoretically speaking coffee can be
grown over large portion of the
earths surface, for It's main requisites
are warmth. moisture and soil rich in
vegetable matter. requisites that are
obia!nahle throughout the ;orr!d zone
generally ana even beyond 1T. But in
actual practice. because of conditions
necessary TO commercial success, the
cultivation of coffee is confined to very
small areas. In Arabia. for example,
II Is only the province OF Yemen where
coffee Is grown. But in Yemen the con-
ditions are almost ideal. The coffee
plantations are situated on slopes that
rise To some elevation above the sea
ana are at some distance from it, Dur
l'S the daytime thick mists ascend
from the low regions, which. spreading
over the plantations in the uplands.
protect them from the fierce heat of
the sun. AS the heat diinlnishes the
rniSts disappear and ut night. when
othcrwisc the coffee shrubs would euf
Ter from cooncss. warm airs ascend
from inc coast regions and pass over
me plantations. In this way the plan
thtions are maintained at an equal
temperature throughout the twcntv
four hours of the day. 1t thus hapnens
that the coffee OF Yemen Cor Mocha
coffee, as ills called is the finest in
the world.
Eiscwhcr whore coffee is grown artI
Hclal means have generally to be re-
so.,vu 10 TO obtain an equablc tempe
."tu,e throughout the day. The most
uHuai Hlhn is to cultivate the coffee
shrubs or trees under the shade Of
'aHer trees that are better. fitted TO
Withstand heat than the coffee trcn &c
AZ Tor example. bananas or cocoa trees
winch IS the practice in Brazil. (Note
though naturally coffee would ,rroyy
INTO trees from % to 30 feet in height.
IN practice ii is never allowed TO grow
INTO more than shrubs from to S feot
IN height This is in order that its
iruit Il sort of berry. i'm size and an
pci'ance something like a cherry. NAV
be easily eathered) AS n rule COFFEE
plantations are on hillsides. at consid
cradle distance above the level of the
sea. on lower levels the heat would he
too intense "e
But the cultivation of coffee. even
When natural conditions are favorable
requires great care and Skill So. too
GO thc processes Of extracting the seeds
oI 1e..Ila4-- as lheX- arc callelf9 from
the fruit. and preparing these for mar
Net' hHsmuch rs coffee is generally
produced in countries where labor is
unframed. uninteligent and Indifferent
There are many difficulties to contend
"!th. In Brazil the practice is to use
in"ch'hcry rs much as possible. Rut
mere are many rarts of the process OF
CULTIVATION ana preparation where ma
chlncry IS impossible, ana ii is in these
very PARIS mat the quality of the pro-
uuct IS most likely 10 BE deterioratcd
This is one reason why 50 much Of the
quality.
The coffee of Yemen C'Mocha'D is es-
teemed the best in the world. but little
Mocha coffee gets out Of Arabia, or
~ least beyond Turkey and Armenia
Ceyion once had an excellent reputa-
ticn Tor It's co,Iee. but so many naturaI
walton In Ceylon that Ceylonese coffee
nantations have been largely convert
ed into tea Plantations. In Java. which
also has long been noted for is coffes
there are difficulties OF another SORT
tdc want OF intelligence and the thrift
lessness Of the laboring people being
tue chief. L. India, although the Gull
tivaton OF coffee has greatly extended
in recent years. ii is only in very
small portion DC the country, ,,,ai,.
on the eastern slopes of the western
Ghauts in the extreme south of the
pcninsula-that the cultivation has
been found 10 be successful.
IN Brazil. enormous as the production
*. the districts where coffee is grown
are 80 small compared with the total
area of the country that they might
be removed from the map ana vet
scarcely be missed. Yet. not,yith-
standing the fact that the cultivation
is wholly confined to these small IA
v"Taele districts. ana Notwithstanding
the fact that iii possible use is made
OF machinery instead Of unintelljgen,
hand labor. and that every other poa,
sible means IS taken to obtain a pro
duct of the best quality, the reputa-
ton which Brazilian coffee holds in the
markets of the world is that its quality
is inferior to all others.
ii is thus seen how greatly both nat
urai si5uatien and the quality OF the
labor applied affect the quality of the
coffee product all the world over. 1t
is but fair 10 state, however. with re-
gard TO Brazilian coffee that the pref
u6icos of the world against it. once so
hurtful to its popularity, have in re-
cent years been greatly diminished.
Speaking generally, no American cof-
fees rank with Asiatic coffees, although