Bourbon.—The coffee grown on this island once enjoyed a European reputation, and was the mainstay of local prosperity ; but hurricanes, the decay of the trees used for shade, and the preference now given to sugar cultivation, have caused a great decline iu the production of coffee. In 1817, the crop exceeded 7,250,000 lb., but in 1875, only 467,500 lb. were shipped. The laud under cultivation with coffee is but about 5000 acres. Five varieties of the coffee shrub are distinguished by the natives, viz. :-1. Mocha, the first introduced into the island, superior to all others, easy to grow, but requiring shade trees far shelter ; 2. Leroy, the Sierra Leone species, a hardy kind, growing readily without shade, and having a seed of inferior quality, pointed at one end ; 3. Myrtle, a liocha variety, especially remarkable for longevity, and abundant crops ; 4. Aden, with small, regular berries, and a peculiar aroma, cultivated in very small quantities ; 5. Marron, an indigenous variety, common in the forests of the elevated interior, with a curious pointed berry, of so strong and hitter flavour tbat it cannot be used alone.
Brazil.—Bra.zil produces about as much coffee as all the remainder of the world. In 1874, it was calculated that nearly million acres were under coffee, and that the trees numbered about 530 million. The provincas where tbe culture is mainly followed are Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Bahia ; the ports are Rio, Santos, Pernambuco, and Bahia. More recently, the industry has assumed considerable proportions in Minas Geraes and in Ceara, notably in the hills of Maranguape, Aratana, Batunte, Ararife, Machada, and Uraburotama. The total exports, besides a very large home con aumption, in 1878, were about 500 million lb.
Coffee flourishes in most parts of Brazil, even where exposed to cold ; but in the latter ease, its fruitfulness diminishes, and becomes too irregular to repay for cultivation. The ground is prepared by clearing and burning, or leaving the felled timber to rot, which it does in a year or two. The young planta are usually procured from old plantations, and are put out at two years. Corn and mandioca are grown betvveen the rows till the fourth year, when the trees are about 6 ft. high, and bear the maiden crop. At six years, they bear fully, the crop reaching lb. a tree, on poor land ; 3 lb., on medium land ; and 4-i lb.. on superior land. An acre contains about 350 trees. The duration of an estate, even under the beat circumstances, very seldom exceeds thirty years ; and where the soil is light, eight to ten years is the common limit. Five to 10 per cent. of the trees are annually destroyed by fungoid pests ; and pla.nters have now to contend against a rising labour market, and want of bands. Owing to carelessness, little more than half the crop is really harvested. Foreign cultivators adopt the usual pulping and other machinery for the preparation of the coffee ; but the Brazilians generally follow another plan :—The cherry coffee is spread on terreiros, large, amooth concrete pavements, or on bamboo frames, to dry in the sun. The berries become black and
crisp ; at this stage, they are rubbed, to remove the pulp, and are then washed. The pea-berriea are carefully separated, to be employed in the adulteration of Mocha coffee. Much of the remainder is sent into Europe under tho name of Java, Ceylon, Martinique, and St. Domingo. It is alao said that in Italy, Santos and Rio growths, especially the former, are largely imported for admixture with the more expeneive Porto Rico. In France, it is becoming a formidable rival to Malabar, Java, and St. Domingo. From its strong flavour, due probably to the mode of preparation, Brazilian coffee improvea more than any other by keeping.
Cayenne.—Coffee was at one time an important staple of thie country, the variety grown being Mocha, fur the cultivation of which the country ia especially adapted ; it ia now chiefly grown as a shade tree for cocoa, annatto, and other crop% though a few Government plantations are main tained, The average production is scarcely 100,000 lb. a year ; the shipments, in 1875, were but 752 lb. The product is not, however, quite lost ; although temporarily abandoned, the trees continue to thrive in a wild state, and may be reclaimed hereafter. They attain a height of about 15-16 ft., with a trunk 30 in. round at a few feet from the ground ; they are rich in foliage, but do not flower ; they ale() appear to be safe from the ravages of insects.
Celebes.—The Minahassa district produces a very superior coffee; the kernels, instead of being opaque, and having a tinge of bronze, are translucent, and of a greenish-blue colour. The beat are those which have these characters, and, at the aame time, are very hard ; thia coffee commands a muoh higher price than that of Java, and is euperior to any raised in the Archipelago, unless it may he some that comes from the highlands in the interior of Sumatra. The general character of the produce, however, is not good, too little care being bestowed upon its preparation. The crop is subjeot to some variation, but the average yield of the Government gardens ia never less than 5,000,000 lb. The whole number of trees belonging to the Government is over 6 million ; but a large proportion of these are young, and therefore bear little or no fruit. Several private indi viduals deo own large plantations. The trees are found to thrive beat above an elevation of 1000 ft. In some districts, the produce amounts to 2-1 lb. a tree, while in others it ia only lb. lt ia packed in bags on the plantations, and is transported from the email storehouses in the interior to the large ones at Monad°, where it is put on hoard vessels either directly for foreign ports, or to be taken to Maoassar, and thence be reshipped to Europe.