The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-02-24

four years after they have been re-
moved from the nurseries, where they
grow in wicker baskets, under shade.
The fruit, when ripe, is red, and re-
sembles small cherry, or cranberry,
in general appearance The coffee
which we see in the grocery store is
the seed of this coffee berry.
Normally each berry contains two
seeds, flat on one side and rounded on
the other the fiat sides being together.
The seeds are imbedded in sticky,
whitish pulp, and are further them
selves surrounded by two envelopes.
| Before the coffee bean can be put
upon the market the outer covering,
the pulp, and the two inner coverings
must be removed. 1t is customary to
classify the methods Of preparing cof-
fee for market into the wet and the
| dry. They are alike, after a certain
stage and there is disagreement among
| experts as to the relative merits Of the
| two in producing the best coffee. In
the dry process the berries are dried
before the pulp is removed, and then
outer covering, pulp, and inner cover
ings are removed together. In the wet
process the pulp Is first removed in
water, and the drying and removal Of
the inner envelopes come later. There
Is no absolutely hard and fast rule, in
variably followed on all fazendas
alike, in the preparation for market Of
the coffee beans.
A considerable water supply and a
carefully planned system Of small
canals and of basins is needed in the
wet method, and it is partly for this
reason, as well as because Of the
preference of some fazendeiros for
the dry method, that the wet method
Is not everywhere in use.
Harvest Lasts Several Months.
The harvest begins in May and lasts
into August, or even September. This
is the dry season, so that the weather
conditions are very favorable, not only
for the harvest itself, but for drying
and transporting the crop after it has
been gathered. In picking the coffee,
the boughs are pulled down with the
left hand and held at the outer end,
while the right hand is run along the
bough from the base to the tip, thus
stripping off the berries as we'll as
many leaves and twigs. For the up
per branches rude step-ladders are
used.
The usual method of harvesting is
to let the berries, twigs, etc., fall di- 4
rectly on the ground, where they are
later raked together with wire rakes
with rounded teeth, and the first rough
sorting is made. The next stage is a
winnowing by means of wire sieve,
the hand being used to pick out the
twigS and leaves and the wind blow
ing away good deal Of the dust as
the contents of the sieve are thrown
up into the air and caught again sew
eral times. In less common method
the results of the harvesting are al
lowed to fall into cotton cloths spread
out underneath the trees. This makes
the gathering Of the crop quicker. The
berries are then assembled in sacks.
subjected to various mechanical treat
ments. Under the "wet method" they
are washed, churned with hoes, al
lowed to soften, and are then run
through mechanical pulper. The
seeds, still envelOped by their inner
skins, are strained from the ''mush"
resulting from the pulping operations,
and are then placed in basins to fer
ment slightly so that any remaining
pulp will be loosened. They are then
spread out on large paved surfaces to
dry in the sun. When properly dried
the seeds are gathered up and run
through ingenious machines which rub
off the skin. The particles of skin are
sifted and blown out and the coffee
beans-hulled, cleaned and sorted
fall directly from the last machine into
the bags. When these contain 1872
pounds each they are sewed up and
are ready for shipment to market.
Along the roads, deep in red dust,
six or eight yoke of oxen draw the
heavy wagon, loaded with the precious
sacks, to the nearest railroad station,
in cases where the railroad does not
come directly into the fazenda, as it
often does.
Off to the south go the trains. first
to the city of Sac Paulo, and then
down the steep eastern slopes of the
Sierra do Mar to the worlds famous
coffee port. In Santos, coffee abso-
lutely dominates the lives OF the peo-
pie. Coffee is everywhere-on the
streets, in the warehouses, on the
train. Every one is busy with coffee