The Denver Jewish news. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1915-1925, 1922-03-29


four yenrs 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 a 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, fiat on one side and rounded on
the other, the fiat sides being together.
The seeds are imbedded In a 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
fec for market into. the wet and the
dry. They are alike. inter 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
vsriably followed on nll fazenias
alike. In the preparation for market OF
the coffee beans.
A considerable water supply and
carefully planned system of small
10 "a 80 toe q, In. l.,I i,, .,
wet method, mud 1t Is pnrtly for this
reason. rs 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 month";.
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 itse,f. lat for drying
and transporting the rtf after it has
been gathered. III p,-@r the coffee,
the boughs are puilsi down with the
left hand and held nj the outer end.
while the right hand Is run along the
bough from the base 20 the tip. thus
stripping OF the berries as well 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 d.
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
winnowing by means OF wire sieve,
the hand being used to pick out tie
wigs and leaves and the wind blow
ing away good deal of the I1st rs
the contents of the sieve are rargNn
up into the mir and caught again sew
crnl times. In less common ineti,od
the results of the harvesting are al
lowed to fall into cotton cloths spread
ont underneath the trees. This mixes
the gathering of the crop quicker. The
berries arc then assembled il acks.
From this point on the berries are
subjected to various mechanical treat
ments. Under the wet method" they
are washed, churned with hoes. al
lowed to soften. and are :hen run
through a mechanical pulner. The
seeds, still cnveloped 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 aud run
through ingenious machines which rus
off the skin. The particles Of s'.in are