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 
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