The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-10-29

trees are magnificent. and among
them are mahoeanies. which are be-
ing cut for our furniture markets.
Now n then We pass an orc1sIu
Of oranges or a field OF bananas. Inc
fruit IS brought to the stauonS anu
we can buy seven ranges Tor : cents
OF our money.
This road TO the Pacific baonSs 10
the Costa Rican government ana ~
is operated at 3 considerable loss. i
is poorly run and the cars are IN
comfortable, They were
made in Costa Rica, FOR they lock as
though they were cut u WIN d
Ratchet The distance from San lose
to Punta Arena is si1ty-n1ne miles
but the train was SIX hours on Tue
way, making Al average OF less thah
Twelve miles an hour.
Indeed. the transportation methods
all over the country are exceedingly
primitive. The most common means
OF travel is on horseback. n 4nuc!l
Of the merchandise is carried on pack
! trains. The country is wild and
mountainous and the SOIL Is sucn
that it washes easily and falls of
in flakes. During the dry season the
| roads are filed with clouds Of dust
. and al the time Of the rains they
! are rivers Of, mud. They are very
; much the same as the a OF north
| ern China. consisting of bitches. cut
by the wheels to a depth OF fifteen
or twenty feet, with high walls OF
| dry, soft earth on each side.
On th.. Coffee Plantations.
/ ! ON told that there are excellent
coffee lands In this part OF Costa Rica.
They lie about 1000 feet above the
sea, some distance back from the
coast, and will probably he opened
up TO settlement when the canal is
I Cor ~ r1ofa6 have already written
something OF Costa Rica coffee. The
country Is now producing about 3d.
| zoe, 600 pounds every year, and the
! bulk Of this goes to London and
, Paris. The people here Say their
coffee is too rich for American blood,
more q pound from the Europeans
than from us. The coffee trees are
descendants Of the Arabian plants
| and some of the beans look like
! Mocha, although the verag is
larger.
Most Of the crop is raised on small
farms, ranging in size from forty to
| fashion for the rich man to. " his
own coffee plantation and nearly
every one Of the well-to-do OF San
Jose has a country estate, the main
crop OF which IS coffee. He has his
home in the city, but after :the win
lcX 1lOA1ONyo t0ACS AI6 dill oAAA
goes to his country home for jan
uary and February, during which
time he harvests the crop. The labor
is done by the natives, who work fol-
about so cents a day, and these, to-
gether with the foremen's suffice
while The master is not present.
How Coffee Is Raised.
have visited coffee plantations AL
over the world, but those Of Costa
Rica are different from any I have
seen in Brazil, Java or elsewhere.
The young plants are set out in the
shade, INK bananas and other tire
are cultivated with them. that they
is scientifically carried on and great
care is taken in selecting the seed
This is from the best plants and the
best beans Of those plants. The beans
are sprouted in seed beds which, have
been prepared beforehand. The ordi-
square. The beans are only half GOV.
cred with earth. Indeed, they are
set in by hand so that a half Of each
only shows above ground. After s
time from the top OF the bean come:
q sprout and from the bottom shoot:
down a root into the earth. Tht
sprout grows into leaves. and whe1
the. plants are a month old they ar.
set out in the nursery in rows abou
six inches apart. They grow ther,
for a year. and are then transp}ante(
to a orchard, where they are t.
stay. The plants are now about SIC
feet apart. They are carefully cult
waited and are kept free from weeds
3 They begin to produce fruit at tire
years and will yield a full crop a
five. In Costa Rica a good yield pc,
tree is about n and one-haf pounds
Tho harvesting season begins alon,
in December. The coffee is then ripe
and the trees are covered with Der
I ries much like red cherries Thee
are picked OFT by girls and CARRIE
to the factory, where the flesh is take,
of by pulping. OF by running tn
After the beans have been pulpe,
= |they still have two thin coats OF Skin
: These are taken off by machinery
and the beans are then sorted. pol