COFFEE. This is an important plant in the agrichlture of , many intertropical countries. The coffee plant' has been lately introduced into the United States under the erroneous supposition that it might be acclimated, which is, of course, destined to result in failure. It is probable that the plant may survive in some portions of Southern California, and barely possible 'that it may not be winter killed in Southern Florida. That it can ever be profitably cultivated is out of the cuiestion. It was at one time stated that the coffee plant grew wild all over California. The ignorant persons, who started the story, sup posed a plant, allied to the Buck Thorn, (.&an gula Califo•nica) to be real coffee. The almost universal use of coffee among civilized nations has stimulated its cultivation wherever the plant could thrive. , Brazil is now the largest coffee producing country in the world. Of late years much interest has been excited over Liberian, coffee on account of the superior size of the berry. There are several varieties of Coffea Arabica, In Abyssinia and Central Africa. Liberian coffee was supposed to be one of these, but late investi gations have determined it to be a distinct species, and it has been named Coffea Liberica. The cut shows branch, leaves, and coffee. An interesting work on coffee, published by Appleton & Co., gives, among other interesting matter, the composition of raw coffee. It is as follows: Woody matter 34 Water 12 Fatty matter 13 Gum, sugar, and caffelc acid.. . .......... 18
Caffeiue S Azotlzed matter, analogous to legumlne IS Saline matter, essential oils, etc Total 100 Also it is stated, as among the curiosities of chemistry, that a magnificent purple dye can be prepared from the alkaloid of coffee. It is analagous to the dye which produced the famous Tyrian purple, unsurpassed for its perfection and permanence of tint. Mention is made of the facts that coffee, although a native of the Old World, has long been one of the most important staples of the New. Meyen, in his inquiries concerning the principal plants on which the prosperity of nations is based, says that lie even found some coffee trees growing wild in Brazil, not far from Rio Janeiro, in the woods of Cor oorado. It is the great commercial staple of the empire of Brazil which, as before stated, is the greatest coffee producing country of the globe, Java being the next in order. The latter does not contribute one-half the quantity of the former, yet it furnishes nearly three times as much as other markets. As showing the estimation in which coffee is held in the United States, the fact is referred to that the annual consumption is greater than anywhere else in the world ; to the extent of six-fold larger than in some of the states of Europe. Germany and France stand next to the United States in the rank of great coffee drinkers. It has often been expressed as a matter of surprise where the supply of Java and Mocha coffee came