The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-10-13
THE COFFEE PLANTATIONS OF JAVA.

I thick. In The coffee districts It has a red
dish tinge, and IS probably im~pregnated
with iron. The best coffee regions are from
1000 to 1000 feet above the sea. and some
Of the very best are ip the Praenger or
| mountainous provinces OF Western Java.
} "JAVA COFFEE" FROM SUMATRA.
In conversation with some of the chief
American coffee exporters at Batavia I
was told that the very best Java coffee Of
to-day comes from Sumatra. It Is from tho
district of Padang and Is of the Arabian
variety. 1t brings a higher price in Ba-
tavia than the best Java sold in our ordin-
airy stores at wholesale in New York, so
that what Is sold as pure Java for from IS
to 10 cents a pound In our stores Is in all
probability not lava at all The best lava
and the Sumatra Java cost the wholesalers
in New York at least 30 cents a pound.
The exporters here tell me that more Java
coffee is consumed in the United States
alone than is raised in all the Dutch East
Indies, and this. Notwithstanding a great
| deal Of the product goes to Europe. I was
told during my stay in Brazil that the most
of the Java coffee sold in the United States
was really Brazilian coffee. and I do not
doubt but that the statement was true.
Notwithstanding this, q great deal Of pure
Java goes to the United States. but 1t brings
very high prices and It is sometimes used
to flavor other coffee. The pure article can
" poS5lbly NC WIZ ~ ~ "uCAl ou III
told you are getting a bargain in pure Java
coffee don't take 1t.
HOW COFFEE IS HANDLED.
The finest Sumtra coffee comes from tho
descendants Of Arabian plants. It is very
carefully cultivated and after being picked
is sorted by hand. In the warehouses here
l have seen scores Of Javanese girls SQUAT
ting down with basket trays Of coffee in
front of them. They handle almost every
grain. putting the small ones into one place
and the larger ones into another, sorting
them as carefully as though they were
grains Of gold. As the coffee comes In it
is of a rich olive green color. 1t is left for
scme time on the floor of the warehouse,
when it turns a light yellow. No coloring
matter whatever is used. and tho coffee is
shipped as pure as It is on a plantation.
The best varieties are sent to New York in
sailing vessels which carry nothing else.
The coffee steams and cures during the
long three months voyage. 30 much i'm.
proving its favor that sailing vessels are
preferred to steamers Coffee. like wine.
improves with age, and up to q certain
limit the older it is the better it is.
JAvA,s COFFEE ESTATES.
Some OF the private estates of Java are
perhaps more scientifically managed than
any other coffee lands Of the world.
At Sinagar. a vast plantation neal Buiten-
zorg, everything connected with the curing
OF the coffee Is done by machinery. The
trees are most carefully cultivated and the
creates. care taken to produce fine fruit.
1 saw there one machine which cleans 1000
pounds Of coffee In a day. It reduces the
dried pulp to a powder. but does not In
5ure the grain After this the coffee Is fur
Their cleaned In a simple tanning mill. One
OF these machines costs about 500 in gold.
I should think they would be OF great value
in Porto Rico.
h private estates are rather increasing
In number. It used to be that most Of the
crop came Hom the Government plantations,