Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1738588467

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-115043

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

Place of publication:: Nairobi

Publisher:: East African Standard

Year of publication:: 1926

Scope:: VI, 337 Seiten; Ill.

Digitisation:: 2020

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Part II. Agriculture

Collection:: Economics Books

PART 1I. { and is cultivated extensively there and in Tanganyika. Further, it is next in importance to coffea arabica, as reports show that it is more resistant to disease and takes the place of arabica when circumstances force this latter to be abandoned. The introduction of Robusta into Kenya has been strictly prohibited in view of the fact that there is the danger of introducing with it the coffee bean borer, Stephanoderes. Apart from this, the quality is very inferior to Arabica and so long as the Mocha coffee grown here continues to give satisfactory results, there is no object in introducing an inferior species. It cannot be too strongly emphasised that the importation of coffee seed may bring very serious results through the introduction of some disease or pest not at present found in Kenya. If, however, anyone at any time wishes to conduct experiments with other species or varieties in districts or areas which are unsuited for arabica, arrangements could be made for the introduction of plants instead of seed. Before passing on to some of our difficult problems, it is necessary that 1 describe very briefly to you the routine of coffee from the plantation to the market. Coffee seeds are sown in a germinating bed and transplanted into nursery beds four to six inches apart, after they have changed from the violet leaf stage. They are usually planted out in the field at from 12 to 18 months old. The Fly crop, or first crop of cherry, is harvested about the third year, and when the trees are five to six years old they should be producing a fair average crop at anything up to a third of a ton per acre clean coffee. The berry, or cherry as it is termed, should not be picked until it is bright red; on the other hand, over-ripeness must be avoided as fermentation sets in and if allowed to go on too long it will cause a discolouration of the bean which will affect the liquor. The method of harvesting the crop in Kenya is extremely crude, but slight improvements have been noticed since labour shortage has become acute. This work involves considerable labour, and one of the best methods adopted in harvesting the crop is to provide each picker with a basket having a circumference of from 4ft. 6ins. to 5ft. and a depth of 6ins. The basket is tied around the waist, or slung from the neck. This enables the pickers to use both hands. It will be found that this method of harvesting coffee will be more effective if the coffee trees are trained on the multiple stem system. At the end of each day’s picking, the cherries are carted to the factory and pulped; the pulp having been taken off the coffee is subsequently known as “parchment.” The parchment is conducted through a channel into a fermenting vat or tank, where the water is drained off and the parchment left to ferment. The time allowed for the process of fermentation varies considerably in this country; it may take from fourteen to forty-eight hours, depending on the climatic conditions. The object of fermentation is to allow the easy and complete removal of the glutinous saccharine matter that is found adhering to the parch- ment, on its first being pulped. The next process is to wash the coffee in a separate tank or a washing channel; the latter is found to be the more satisfactory, not only is the washing more thoroughly carried out, but the parchment is graded by gravity, the lights and inferior coffee being separated from the best grades. The washed coffee is then dried by the sun or by a mechanical process. When the coffee 51

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