Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-05-23
Lbs,

The sources of this production are
approximately as follows:
Brazil ...,.. $3.50. 1000 600
Other America -. 49,. ef5,ooo.ooo
East Indies. Africa, etc. 2s5,0OO,O0O
Total ..... go. ....l.5o0, 600 600
1t is thus seen that of this produce
| ton Brazil is the contributor of two
thirds. While America us a whole North
and South) is Il contributor of over
! fiVe-SiXths.
Yet coffee (the cultivated sorO is not
indigenous TO America. and what $
more remarkable. the total coffee
growth of the continent is the offspr nS
of Il single imported tree or shrub.
| Tho history Is interesting. Down TO
nearly the end of the seventeenth cen
fury the only source Of coffee supply
in the world WAS Arabia IN the year
1880 Gov.-Gcn. Van Hoorne Of the
| Dutch East Indies obtained from some
traders a fow coffee seeds that had
come from Arabia. These he planted in
his garden in Batavia, In Java Very
soon the cultivation of coffee became
general throughout Java; and from
Java it soon spread 10 other Dutch
possessions in the cast, especially Ccy-
Ion One OF the first plants produced
in Java was sent by Van HORNE to
| of the Dutch East India company. This
was planted III the botanic garden at
Amsterdam Shortly altcrward young
plants obtained from seeds borne by
Van Hoornc's plant were sent to Surf
| nam (Guiana). IL Dutch possession in
South America. In his the cultivation
of coffee was we'll established in Surf
nam Shortly aftcrward coffee plants
| from Surinam We're introduced into
the West Indies. From the West In
| dies the culture extended to Central
America. Mexico. Venezuela and north
crn Brazil and other countries on the
continent. Finally, about the middle Of
! the last century it was introduced into
| that portion of Brazil-the districts
about Rio and tOS-Wherc It has
since been prosecuted so advantage
| eously.
Thus from single plant sent TO Hol-
land from Java has developed the Gull
turc that now provides five-sixths of
the coffee of the world There must he,
| on the American continent and in the
| Vest Indies, at least 800 600 900 coffee
| trees descended from that one plant.
And from the few seeds obtained by
| Gov. Van HORNE in 1880 has developed
practically the whole Of the coffee cul-
| ture of the world outside of Arabia and
Africa.
Although the botanical name of the
coffee tree OF cultivation is "coroa
arabica," Arabia is not the indigenous,
home of coffee. The prmeval habitat
of the coffee tree is supposed to have
been Abyssnia N which country ii is
still found wild. Coffee is also sup
! posed to have been used from most
remote period as a beverage in Abys-
sinia. But Abyssinia j. near Arabia.
C1rfy Il Z
was introduced into Arabia, where
since its first Introduction it has been
| grown with perfection that elsewhere
seems unattainabe. In Arabia too.
| the preparation of coffee ne; BEVERAGE.
| il is said, exceeds in perfection its pre-
| paration in all other countries.
| The use of coffee in other countries
| than Arabia developed somewhat slow
~. In western Europe the Dutch were
the first people to become fond of It,
! This, no doubt, was because of the
TACT that rs we have seen coffee was
| early cultivated in tho Dutch colonies
| Of the cast The Dutch early became.
| and have ever since remained. tire
greatest coffee driniIers in the world.
| In eastern Europe. even before it was
known in the west. knowledge Of
the use OF coffee was obtained from.
the Arabians by the Turks II was
in this way that it got into Ensland.
| In the middle OF the seventeenth cea-
fury Turkey merchant of London
! named Edwards brought some coffee
! home with him ana introduced 1t 10 his
friends. The first coffee house In Lon
! don was opened in 1862 by servant OF
| Edwards.
Though at first the London coffee
houses met with much opposition from
the government. by ne end of the cen
| tury they became the most popular
| places Of entertainment that Londoner rs
/ frequonted. BY tie beginning OF the
/ eighteenth century the use Of coffee as
| . beverage was pretty general through
! out Europe. In this respect in point Of
| time coffee preceded tea. Tea was q
| novelty in England long after the COM
! mon Use of coffee was well established.
| But by the beginning of the eighteenth
| century tea. as well rs coffee, was a
| considerable article of import. This
| was so not only in England but in E.u-
! rope generally.
| With respect 10 the use Of these two
| beverages. coffee and tea. it is worthy
| of note what habits seem 10 he national.
| than coffee drinkers. So. too. in the up
! per classes. are the Russians even more
| cmphatically than the English. Else
whore in Europe the nations are coffee
| drinkers. Especially IS this so with re-
! spect tor Holland. Denmark, Belgium
| Switzerland. Germany and France. The
| great colonies OF Great Britain. Aus
| tralia aud Canada, on the other hand.
are tea-drinking nations But the
| United States is n coffee drinking ma
ton. in respect to total consumption
regard 10 tea drinking the United
States holds very unimportant posi-
tion indeed.