Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-17
MEETS WITH FAVOR.
Coffee Lovers Pass Upon
Porto Rican Product.
SAMPLES ARE DISTRIBUTED
Department of Agriculture Expert.
neutrality-suspicious. With
Other Brands.

distributed by the Department Of Agri-
culture and returns have just been re-
ceived from q number OF the parties to
whom they were sent The comments in
all cases have been favorable. Some of
the specimens were sent to the members
Of the committees on agriculture of the
House and Senate and others went gen.
orally to influential men and women
There was no need to have the coffee
dealers pass on the samples. as they know
all about the quality Of the island coffee
already.
What the Department Of Agriculture
has been trying to do, II Is stated, Is to
make two pounds of coffee grow in the
enlarge the market for the coffee, which
is not largely sold In the United States.
Whether Porto Rican coffee ever becomes
popular here or not is a question. 1t
will depend entirely, it is believed. on
whether or not the coffee-drinking public
gets used to it. But whether 1t does or
does not there is already q fair market
for 1t in Europe and the United States
government Is succeeding with the prob
lem of increasing the production per acre.
Not a Cheap Beverage.
Porto Rican coffee, it is declared, is not
a cheap beverage. The only reason it is
not more extensively used in the United
States is that the people here have never
been educated to drink that sort Of cof-
fee. 1t makes a heavy. dark beverage,
such as Is regarded as excellent for after
dinner coffee or to be drunk clear. But
1t is not the sort that the American de-
m&nds when he wants a big cup with
lots of cream and sugar at his home
breakfast, Or when he rushes into dairy
lunchroom for the same thing
Thea rnffAo naupnAd hnPe
comes from Brazil and costs about 8
cents on the plantation. The Porto
Rtcan product brings to 13 cents on
the tree and nearly all Of 1t is said
to be sold In Europe.
The work with Porto Rican coffee
has been carried on by the depart
ment experiment stations in the island
and has been in active progress since
about 1902. In 1898 the island suffered
the worst hurricane on record and the
stroyed. Most Of the planters, it is
stated. were in the habit of borrowing
money in advance on their crop, and
when there was no crop they were in
bad financial shape.
Reviving Old Plantations.
First of all, the Department Of Agricul-
ture started in to rejuvenate the old
plantations, and this work is being carried
on in conjunction with the new expert
mental work. 1t always has been the
habit in Porto Rico. 1t is said. to grow
coffee under the shade of other trees. The
department has tried the scheme of re-
ducing the shade materially on some Of
the experimental tracts and cutting 1t
out altogether on others.
Further, the Americans wanted to get
the most easily handled crop. Coffee is
entirely hand picked, and the workman
10, 4skr
small stepladder For this work a high
tree was undesirable, and the department,
by training, pruning and constant atten-
ton, has developed trees not more than
ten feet high. bushy and heavy bearing:
rows OF trees has been tried in the ex-
perimental plots and different sorts OF
fertilizers have been used. In fact. the
coffee-raising business which had crystal
lied into traditional routine, has been
taken up and shaken like an old carpet
Some of the planters did not take kindly
to the modern invasion at first, but the
showing was the thing. The average
yield from the modern cultivated plots is
stated to be 800 bushels, against $50 from
the old plantations.
Attention to New Ground.
The work with the rejuvenated planta-
tions is not all that is being done. The
department, it is stated, has been trying
the best and cheapest way to set out new
plantations. Instead Of setting out a
plantation of seedlings. the department
puts the coffee seeds into a specially
prepared BEG, where they can be given
a start and better care than II they
were scattered over a large area. The
most thrifty seedlings are selected, and
these are set out in nursery rows and
are kept there a year. so that by the
time the tree is planted out wnere it is
to remain 1t Is two years old.
1t has been found that the expense of
putting in plantation this way and
caring for it till the time of the first
crop, which is in about five years. is 500
per acre. This is regarded as cheaper
than planting and caring for a fruit
orchard in the states.
While the experimental work has been
done with the plantations, it is stated. the
breeding and trial of the various trees has
coffee that ought to do well or that would
be desirable have been brought from all
quarters. There is high grade Java
coffee, that Is worth wholesale from 20 to
30 cents a pound, and there is the rarer
Mocha that costs from 35 to 40 cents
a pound.
Experiments Made.
These varieties and several others are
being accimated and adapted to their
new surroundings. Some Of the strains
promise well, but it is regarded as a long
and tiresome process waiting for coffee
years to get the first crop. and the first
crop is seldom representative.
There have been experiments in hy-
bridiZing the strains, but this Is scarcely
considered remunerative work, because IL
particular blend is wanted 1t can usual