that is, mixing several neutral grades from
various lots to create an artificial grade; or, more properly speaking,
a "type," desirable for trading on the New York market.

_Grading and Testing in Brazil_

Having bought a lot of coffee, the exporter's next step is to grade and
to test it. Grading is generally done in the morning and late afternoon,
the hours from one to half-past four being devoted to making offers. The
afternoon grading is done by sight. The morning examinations are more
thorough, some progressive exporting houses even cup-testing the
samples. Samples are compared with house standards, and with the
requirements that have been cabled from the home office in the consuming
country. Some of the coffee is roasted to obtain a standard by which all
"chops" (varieties) are then graded and marked according to
quality--fine, good, fair, or poor. Quality is further classified by the
numerals from two to eight, which standards have been established on the
New York Coffee and Sugar Exchange, and are described farther on in this
chapter. Some traders also use the terms large or small bean; fair,
good, or poor roasters; soft or hard bean; light or dark; and similar
descriptive terms.

When a lot is ready for shipment overseas, the _commisario_ stamps each
bag with his identifying mark, to which the buyer or exporter adds his
brand. If the _commisario_ is ordered before eleven in the morning to
ship a lot of coffee, he must be paid before three in the afternoon of
the same day; if he receives the order after eleven, payment need not be
made before three in the afternoon of the following day. Generally the
terms of sale are full settlement in thirty days, less discount at the
rate of six percent per annum for the unexpired time, if paid before the
period of grace is up.

_Dispatching and Capitazias_

The exporter collects his money by drawing a draft against his client on
deposit of bill of lading, cashing the draft through an exchange broker
who deducts his brokerage fee. The exporter must obtain a consular
invoice, a shipping permit from both federal and state authorities, and
pay an export tax, before the coffee goes aboard the ship. This process
is known as "dispatching," while the dock company's charges are known as
_capitazias_.

In practically all coffee-growing sections the small planter is helped
financially by the owners of processing plants or by the exporting
firms. The larger planters may even