PART 11. 41) 
variety to grow in some areas, the use of shade, its efficiency, the 
special treatment of the crop, the various methods of training and 
pruning the plant, marketing,”’ and so forth, all demand a nicety of 
judgment in dealing with them. 
; Historically, the coffee industry started in Abyssinia where the 
species Coffea arabica was discovered. °° Arabica ' is the most 
important of all the cultivated species, and is admittedly the best. 
This species is divided into several varieties and strains, and one of 
these varieties, namely, Mocha, is mainly the nucleus of the industry 
in Kenya. 
Mr. John Patterson of Thika claims to have imported the first 
coffee seed into the Colony in 1893; the same year the French Fathers 
obtained their seed from Aden, which was planted at Bura Mission. 
The seed introduced by the French Fathers was apparently mixed, 
containing two or more types of Coffea arabica, Mocha being 
predominant, and the smaller percentage resulted in a mixture of 
bronze tipped trees. 
The seed imported by Mr. Patterson was of the bronze tipped 
type, similar in some respects to the coffee that is grown in Central 
America. In 1896, seed from the trees propagated at Kibwezi from 
the original seeds imported by Mr. Patterson were sent to Fort Smith 
in the Kyambu district; this type was not widely distributed in the 
Highlands. 
In 1900 some coffee plants were taken from Bura Mission to the 
then newly founded St. Austin’s Mission near Nairobi. This laid the 
foundation of the coffee industry in Kenya, as the majority of coffee 
plantations here have been established from seed first grown at St. 
Austin’s Mission. To-day the coffee plantations in this country are 
not uniform as to variety, as one can see on nearly every estate a 
small percentage of bronze tipped trees mixed with Mocha. This 
shows the importance of seed importation into a country and that it 
is one of the chief fundamental principles to observe. In dealing 
further with this matter, it might be of interest to mention that there 
oceur at least four variations in these bronze tipped trees: 
‘1. A coarse broad leaf, with a light bronze tip. 
<A narrow leaf, with a darkish bronze tip. 
(& \ tree similar in appearance to Mocha, with bronze tipped 
lanves. 
(4) A freak tree, having all bronze or copper coloured leaves. 
The first mentioned is undoubtedly the hardiest, and appears to 
be more resistant to disease. It produces a small yield, and bears a 
large percentage of elephant and mal-formed shaped beans. The 
second produces a good yield, and is susceptible to die-back. The 
third is outstandingly the best: it produces a good yield and is hardy 
The fourth is of no commercial value and should be dug out of a 
plantation. 
In 1922, it was decided that owing to the difficulty in seed 
selection from these mixed types, or strains, to discourage coffee 
planters from establishing any bronze tipped coffee, which was not 
propagated from either Blue Mountain or Mysore varieties; both of 
these varieties have now been established in the Colony, and from 
observations made they are found to be more suitable than Mocha at 
the higher altitudes. 6,000 feet and over. Of the two. the Mysore 
4C