Page 37 - Third Book of Reading Lessons

36 THIRD BOOK OF
parts of America. The plant, if left to itself, would rise to the height of sixteen or eighteen feet, but it is generally stunted to ve, r the convenience of gathering its uit with greater ease. Thus dwarft, it extends its branches so, that it covers the whole spot round about it. It begins to yield uit the third year, but is not in ll bearing till the fth. It is covered with a grey smooth bark, and shoots out through the whole length of its stem, a growth of branches, which are always opposite to each other, arranged in pairs in the same manner. From the bottom of the leaves spring agrant white owers, very much like those of the jessamine; and when the owers or blossoms drop o , they leave a small uit behind, which is green at rst, but reddens as it ripens, and is like a hard cherry, both in shape and colour. Two, three, or more of these berries, grow together on the same part of the twig, each coated with a husk or tegument, enclosing another and ner skin, in which two seeds or kernels are con­ tained, which are what we call co ee.
2. The uit is usually gathered in Iay, which is done by shaking the trees, the berries lling on cloths, spread underneath to receive them. These being laid on mats to dry in the sun, the outer husks are opened and separated, by drawing rollers of woop or iron over them; after which, the berries are ex­ posed to the sun a second time, and then sifted clean r use. The husks, however, are not wasted, r the Arabs use them, as we do the berries, and the drink made of them having a little tartness, is cool­ ing and pleasant in the heat of summer. The drink made of co ee-berries has been common in Europe
above a hundred years, and much longer among the