Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-08-05
RIGA COFFEE
BEING TESTED IN
WASHINGTON
GROW TWO POUNDS
WHERE ONE GROWS NOV
Department Of Agriculture De-
clares Product is Not Cheap
Beverage, But is As Good As
Any That is Produced.

Washington, j. G., Aug. Sam
pies OF Porto Rican coffee have beer
distributed BY the department o
agriculture and returns have jus
been received from a number OF tn,
parties 10 whom they were sent. Tn,
comments In all cases have been ia,
vcrnble. Some OF the Specimens
were sent to the members Of tn
committees on agriculture OF tn,
house and senate and Others wen.
generally 70 influential men and
women. There Was no need 20 have
the coffee dealers pass on the sam.
pies. as they know an about the quail
ity Of the island cofiee already.
What the department Of argicul.
lure has been trying to do, it i.
stated, is TO make two pounds of cot
fee grow i'm the island where one
grew before and to enlarge the mar
ket for the coffee, which is not
largely sold in the United States
Whether Porto Rican coffee ever he
comes popular here or not is a ques-
ton. IL viii depend entirely. it is
believed. on whether or not the cot
f~ee-diinking public gets used TO il.
But whether il does or does nc. there
is already Il fair market for it in
Europe and the United states gov
eminent IS succeeding with the prob
lem of increasing the production per
.cre.
Porto Rican coffee. it is declared,
Is not q cheap beverage. The only
reason Il Is not more extensively used
in the United States is that the peo-
pie here have never been educated to
N.N L. q NM 4.ar.t 80 .AaIfAa laC a
heavy, dark beverage. such as is re-
garded as excellent for after-dinner
coffee or to be drunk clear. But it
Is not the sort that the American de-
mands when he wants a big cup with
lots Of cream and sugar at his home
hleakfaGt. or when he PUSHES into II
dairy lunchloom for the same thing.
The average coffee consumed here
comes from Brazil and costs about 6
on the plantation. The Porto
Rican product brings ] to l3 cents
on the tree and nearly all of il 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 is-
land and has been in active progress
about 1902. In 1898 the island
suffered the worst hurricane on rec
ord and the coffee plantations were
destroyed. Most of the plant
ers, il is stated, were in the habit OF
money in advance on their
crop. end when there was no crop
they we've II bad financial shape.
First Of all, the department of
agriculture started IN 10 rejuvenate
the old plantations, and this work is
being carried on in conjunction with
new experimental work. 1t al
ways has heen the habit in Porto
Rico. it is said. to grow coffee under
shade of other trees. The de-
partment has tried the schemes Of
the shade materially on
some OF the experimental tracts and
1t out altogether on others.
Further, the Americans wanted to
get the most easily handled crop.
coffee is entirely hand picked, and
he workman operates either from
he ground or on a small s~tep-ladder.
For this work a high tree was un-
desirable, and the department, by
raining, pruning and constant at
has developed trees not more
han ten feet high. bushy and heavy
The scheme Of cultivation between |
he rows OF trees has been tried in
mt tADtIlllltllAi lflbAN oiAt l
.orts OF fertilizers have been used. In
act. the coffee-raising business.
which had c%rystanized into a tradi-
routine, has been taken up
shaken like an old carpet. Some
# the planters did not take kindly To
he modern invasion at fiis:, but the
itowing was the thing The average
'feld from the modern cultivated
,lots is stated to he 200 bushels,
$50 from the old plantations
The work with the rejuVenated
Is not I'll that Is being
The department, IL is stated.
Ias been trying the best and cheap
81 way 10 set out new plantations.
instead of setting out g plantation OF
eedlings, the department puts the
Office seeds into a specially pre-
AIRED he'd, when they can be given a
and better care than IT they
scattered over a large area. fhe
lost thirty seedlings are selected.
nd these are set out in nursery rows
arc kept there a year, so nat ps
,a time the tree is planted Out
Moro IL Is to remain il is two years
ld.
II has been round that the expense
Z putting in a plantation this way
caring for II ill the time OF the
tst cron. which is in about i've
ears. is 500 per acre. This Is re-
arded as cheaper than planting ana
airing for "A fruit orchard IN the
ates.
While the experimental work has
cen done with the plantations II IS
ated. the breeding and trial OF the
trees has not been neglected
ew varieties of coffee that ought 70
D we'll or that would he desirable
ave been brought from all quarters
here is high grade Java coffee, that
worth wholesale from 20 TO 80 i
.nts a pound. and there is the rerer I
.ocha that costs from 80 20 40 cents
pound. n
These varieties and several others .
being acclimtted and adapted 10
new sui roundings. some OF the 2
rains promise well. but II is re- {
irded As a long and tiresorne pro- :
.ss waiting for coffee trees To ma
because II takes six years 10 :
4 the first crop, and the first crop .
seldom representative. :
There have been experiments IN y
f%hridixing the strains. but this is =,
considered remunerative :,
ORR, because II a particular blend 4