I Hull ihcrcforc fubjoin the bcfl account of this plant, 

 and the culture which it requires in thole countries, 

 with the profits which have arifen from it to thofe 

 who liave planted fomc of thefe trees of late years, 

 bv way of experiment, in order to excite others to 

 follow their example •, and fliall afterward give di- 

 rections for cultivating it in England, by way of 



curiofity. 



In making a plantation of Chocolate-trees, you 



muft firft b'e very careful in the choice of the fituation, 

 and the foil, otherwifc there will be fmall hopes of 

 fuccefs. As to the fituation, it fliould be in a place 

 where the trees may be protected from ftrong winds, 

 to which if they are expofed, they will foon be de- 

 ftroyed : fo that in fuch places where torrents of water 

 have wafhed away the earth lb as to leave broad and 

 deep furrows (which the inhabitants of thofe idands 

 call gullies,) thcfe trees will thrive exceedingly: and 

 as thcfe are very frequently to be found in thofe 

 ifiands, and many of them are of large extent, and 

 not much cultivated, it may be a great improve- 

 ment to fome eilates, which, at prefent, are of fmall 

 value. The foil in thefe guUies is generally rich and 

 moill, which is what thefe trees require \ fo that they 

 v/ill make great progrefs in thefe places, as hath been 

 experienced by thofe perfons, who have lately made 

 trials of the plants in thefe fituations i but where 

 there are not a fufficient number of thefe gullies, 

 choice fhould be made of a fituation which is well 

 llieltered by large trees -, or, if there are not trees 



already grown^ there fhould be three or four rows 



^ 



f 



A 



planted, fo a§ that they may be placed in a qiiiitcun^r 

 order, at equal diftance every way, or at leaft that 

 the Plantain-trees between them may form a quin- 

 cunx, with the two rows of Chocolatc-trecs^ which 

 are placed between each row of them. • 

 In making a plantation of Chocolate-nut-trees, the 

 nuts mull be planted where the trees are to 

 for if the plants are tranfplanted, they feldom live ; 

 and thofe which furvive it, will never make thriving 

 trees -, for, as I before obferved, thefe trees have a 

 tender tap root, which, if broke, or any way injured, 

 the tree commonly decays. 



The nuts fiiould always be planted in a rainy feafon, 

 or at lead when it is cloudy weather, and fomc hopes 

 of rain falling foon after. As the fruit ripens at two 

 different feafons, viz. at Midiummer and at Chrift- 

 mas, the plantation may be made at either of thofe ; 

 but the chief care muft be to choofe fuch nuts as are 

 perfectly ripe and found, otherwifc the whole trouble 

 and expence will be loft. The manner of planting 

 the nuts is, to make three holes in the ground, within 

 two or three inches of each other, at the place where 

 every tree is to ftaud; and into each of thcfe holes 

 fliould be one found nut planted about two inches 

 deep, covering tliem gently with earth. The reafon 

 for putting in three nuts at every place is, becaufe 

 they feldom all fucceed ; or, if molt of them grow^ 

 the plants will not be all equally vigorous •, fo that 

 when the plants have had one year's growth, it is very 

 eafy to draw up all the weak unpromiifing plants, 

 and leave the moft vigorous ; but in doing this, 

 great care ihould be had to the remaining plants, fj 

 as not to injure or difturb their roots in drawing the 



:I 



otiier out. 



planted round the fpot which is defigned for the Cho- 

 colate-trees, of fuch forts which are of quickcft 

 ^ rowthi and within thefe rows there fhould be fome 

 Plantain-trees, planted at proper diftances, which I It is very proper to obferve^ that the Chocolate-nuts 

 being very quick of growth, and the leaves very | . will not retain their growing faculty long after they 

 large, will afford a kindly flielter to the_ young 



Chocolate-trees placed between them. 



are taken frorii the trees, fo that there is no poffibility 

 of tranfporting them to any great diftance for plant- 



The Chocolate-trees which are cultivated, feldom I pg; nor Ihould they be kept long out of the ground, 



grow to more than fourteen or fifteen feet in height, I in the natural places of their growth. There are 



nor do they fpread their branches very wide ; fo that I iomt authors^ who have written the hiftory of this 



if the Plantain-trees are placed in rows, about twenty I tree, and diftinguifli three different forts of the nuts, 



four feet afunder, there will be room enough for two 

 rows of Chocolate-trees between each row of Plan- 

 tains ; and if they are placed at ten feet diftance in 

 the rows, it will be fuflicicnt room for them. Thofe 



from the colour of their fkins, one of which is of a 

 whitilh green colour, one of a deep red, and the third 

 6f a red and yellow colour-, but thefe are not fpeci- 

 fically different, but all arife from feeds of the fame 



trees which are found wild in uncultivated places, I tree, as is the cafe of our Filberts, which differ in 

 are generally of much larger growth, which may be l the colour of their flcins, but are of the fame colour 

 occaiioned by the other trees, amongft which thefe ' .within, and have the fame tafte. There are others, 



who would diftinguifli thefe nuts by their fize and 

 form, fome being larj^c and thick, others almoft as 



are found growing; for, being protecled from the 

 winds by thofe, they are not fo much in danger there- 

 from, as thofe which are cultivated : and the other I flat as Beans \ but thefe differences, I have been ere- 

 trees clofcly furrounding them, will naturally draw j dibly informed, arife from fome accident, as thofe 

 them up to a greater height : however, that is not a j trees which are young and vigorous, and grow upon 

 defirable quality in thefe trees; for the lower tliey j a deep rich foil, will always produce larger and better 

 are, the better the fruit may be gathered without I nourilhed fruit, than thofe which ftand on a ftallow 

 hurting the trees, and the Icfs they are expofed to the I ^I'y ground, and are unthriving trees: as will alfo 

 injuries of the weather ; fo that the inhabitants never 

 defire to have their trees above twelve or fourteen I of the fruit; for old tr<ies are generally obferved to 



feet high. 



produce fmallerand flatter nuts than thofe v/hich are 



The foil upon which thefe trees thrive to moft ad- | young, or than the fame trees did bear while they 

 vantage, is a moift, rich, deep earth ; for they ge- 

 nerally fend forth one tap root, which runs very 

 deep into the ground, fo that wherever they meet 

 with a rocky bottom near the furface, they feldom 

 thrive, nor are they of long continuance ; but in a 

 rich, deep, moift foil, they will produce fruit in 



pretty good plenty the third year from feed, and will 

 continue fruitful for feveral years after. 

 Before the plantation is begun, the ground fliould 

 be well prepared by digging it deep, and clearing it 

 from the roots oi the trees, and noxious plants, 

 \vhich, it iulfered to remain in the ground, will flioot 

 up again after the firft rain, and greatly obftruft the 

 growth of the plants ; {o that it will be almoft im.- 

 poffible to clear the ground from thofe roots, after 

 the Chocolate plants are come up, without greatly 

 injuring them. 



^^ hen the ground is thus prepared, the rows fliould 

 be marked out by a line, where the nuts are to be 



2 



1 



were vigorous. 



When the Chocolate-trees firft appear above ground, 

 they are very tender, and fubjed to great injuries 

 from the ftrong winds, the fcorching fun, or great 

 droughts, for which reafon the planters are obliged 

 to guard againft all thefe enemies, firft, by making 

 choice of a flickered fituation, or at leaft by planting 

 trees to form a flneker ; and, if poffible, to have the 

 plantation near a river, for the convenlency of wa- 

 tering the plants the firft feafon, until they have made 

 ftrong roots, and are capable of drawing their nou- 

 rifliment from fome depth in the earth, where they 

 meet with moifture. But in order to flielter the 

 plants from the fcorching rays of the fun, they ge- 

 nerally plant two rows ot Caffada between each row 

 of Chocolate-trees, which will grow about fevcn or 

 eight feet high, and fcreen the young plants from 

 the violence of the fun the firft feafon ; after which 



time, they will be in lefs danger of injury therefrom \ 



anJL 



