The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-04-07
IS NOT
INJURED BY
FRUIT FLY
Investigation and Experiments by
Hawaii Station viii Have I'm
portant Bearing on Commercial
Side Of Industry on Islands
Tests Confirm Chemical Ara
lyses.

The Hawaii Experiment. station has
been conducting investigations to set
tie the question whether the Meditcr.
ranean fruit-ay injuries coffee. AZ is
well known the pulp Of the ripe cherry
is usually badly infested with the mag.
gots. DR.. E. v. Wilcox secured guam
titles Of the fruit in all degrees Of ripe
ness both infested with and free from
fruitshy and subjected them to chem
zeal analysis. Miss Alice r. Thompson,
assistant chemist at the station, had
charge Of the work.
The results of these analyses have
proved extremely interesting as well as
surprising because II has been demon
strhted that the quality Of the coffee
berry is at its best from Eve to seven
days before the berry is fully ripe.
Analyses were made to determine the
percentage Of caffein and caffeitannic
acid as well. as the usual organic and
mineral compounds
NO Chemical Difference.
Miss Thompson found that there was
absolutely no chemical difference be-
tween infested and uninfested ripe
coffee berries, or between the green
berries in like condition. She did,
however, make the discovery that eof-
fee berries which are Ave TO seven days
under the period Of complete ripeness
are materially richer than the fully
ripe berries in the essential oils, resins
and alkaloids that are associated with
flavor and quality. Extended roasting
tests confirmed the chemical analyses.
Physical analyses of the infested and
uninfcsted ripe berries doyelopedI the
fact that in the fiy infested one the
seed contained more water than where
there were no worms in the pulp. But
when the coffee was dried out after
pulPing there was no difference be-
tween the two. ss
Important Bearing on Industry.
Doctor Wilcox said that the sta.
ton : discovery will have an import
ant bearing on the eommercial side Of
coffee production in Hawaii. Expert.
ments show that tho fruitNhy maggots
in the under-ripe cherry seldom sur
viye the pulping process, whereas
large proportion Of those in the pulp
OF tue .ueuuElpe cneTrHb puphNo anu
finally transform into the mature o.
image stage of the insect.
The advantages Of picking the crop
before the coffee berries are dead-ripe
would be the iaborsaving through
closer picking; elimination of the
losses caused by the falling of over.
ripe berries; and, the avoidance Of the
.putrefactiye fermentation that inyari.
ably sets in where over-ripe coffee
stands more that twelve hours in the
bags before going to the puipcr. q.
Doctor Wilcox fIiEthor stated his
opinion that the reputation of sKona
coffee would be enhanced in the world 3
markets il, the ripenipg cherry can be
harvested aud millod ut q moro uni.
form stage of semiripcness or ut tho
stage where the cSifciD Rnd essential
oils hse present an maxipunl amount
He said if IL had not been for the
Mediterranean fruit-hy Hawaii might
never have known this, so that the
pest may turn ,out TO have been a
blessing in disguise instead of the curse
that the planters thought II was, Is