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The Chocolate-trees, if planted on a good foil, and 

 properly taken care of, will continue vigorous ancV 

 fruitful twenty-five or thirty years: tlierefore the 

 charge of cultivating a plantation of thefe trees, mud 

 be much lefs than that of Sugary for although the 

 ground between the rows of plants will require to be 

 often hoed and wrought, yet the firft working of a 

 ground to make a new plantation of Sugar, Indigo, 

 CaiTada, &c. is a larger cxpence than the after-work- 

 ino-s are. Befides, Sugar-canes require as much la- 

 bo'iir in their cultivation, as any plant whatever ; and 

 fince the infefts which deftroy the Sugar-canes, have 

 fpread fo much in the Britifh colonies, nothing is a 

 more uncertain crop tlian Sugar-, .^or which reafon, 

 I think it would be greatly worth thofe planters care, 

 wlio are poffeflcd of proper lands for the Chocolate- 

 trees, to make fome fmall trials at leaft, to be con- 

 vinced of the truth of this fadt. 



The leaves of thefe trees being large, make a great I moderate degree of heat, if they have gentle water- 

 litter upon the ground when they fall ; but this is | ings once a week, it will be fufficicnt. 

 not injurious, but rather of fervice to the trees ; for "" " " . . ^ - - 



tlie furface of the ground being covered with them, 



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about a fbrtmght after the nuts are planted, theplanfij 

 ■will begin to appear above ground ; when they ihould 

 be carefully watered in dry weather,' and protected 

 froni the violent heat of the fun, which is very in- 

 jurious to thefe plants, efpecially while thc7 are 

 young: they Ihould alfo be kept very clear from 

 weeds , which, if fuffered to grow in the boxes, will 

 foon overbear the plants and deftroy them. When 

 the plants are grown ftrong enough to tranfport, they 

 ihould be fliipped and placed where they may be 

 fcreened from ftrong winds, fait water, and the violent 

 heat of the fun. During their paffage they muft be 

 frequently refrefhed with water; but it nuifl not be 

 given them in great quantities, left it rot the tender 

 fibres of their roots, which will deftroy the plants ; 

 and when they come into a cool latitude, they muft 

 be carefully protefted from the cold, when they will 

 not require lb frequently to be watered : for in a 



When the plants arrive in England, they (liould be 

 carefully taken out of the boxes, and each tranfplant- 



they preferve the moifture in the ground, and prevent ed into a feparate pot filled with light rich earth, snd 

 its evaporating-, which is of great ufe to the young plunged into a moderate hot-bed of tanners bark, 

 tender roots, which are juft under the furface; and being careful to cover the glafles in the heat of the 



when the leaves are rotten, they may be buried in 

 digging the ground, and it will ferve as good manure. 

 Some planters let the pods, in which the Chocolate 

 is inclofed, lie and rot in a heap (after they have 

 taken the nuts out) which they alfo fpread on the 

 ground inftead of dung. Either of thefe manures are 

 very good, provided they are well rotted before they 

 are laid on the ground; and great care fliould be 

 had, that no vermin ftiould be carried on the plan- 

 tation with the dung. 



Befides the ordinary care of digging, hoeing, and 

 manuring the plantations of Chocolate-trees, there is 

 alfo another thing requifite in order to their doing 

 well ; which is, to prune the decayed branches oft^, 

 and to take away fmall ill placed branches, wherever 

 they are produced. But you ftaould be cautious how 

 this work is performed ; for there fhould be no vi- 

 gorous branches fhortened,, nor any large amputa- 

 tions made on thefe trees ; becaufe they abound with 

 a foft, glutinous, milky juice, which will flow out for 

 many days whenever they are wounded, which greatly 

 weakens the trees. However, fuch branches whofe 

 extreme parts are decayed, fliould be cut off, to pre- 

 vent the infeftion from proceeding farther ; and fuch 

 branches as are much decayed, fhould be taken off 

 clofe to the ftem of the tree ; but this fliould be per- 

 formed in dry weather, foon after the crop of fruit 

 is gathered. 



Some people may perhaps imagine, that what I have 

 direfted, is a tedious laborious work, and not to be 

 performed by a few flaves: but this is a great miftake, 

 for I have been credibly informed, that five or fix 

 negroes will cultivate a plantation of ten thoufand of 

 thefe trees, provided they are properly inftrufted; 

 which is a i'mall number, when compared to the 

 quantity necefl^ary to cultivate a Sugar plantation of 

 the like extent of ground. And when the profits of 

 both are compared, there will be a great difl^erence : 

 for, fuppofing we fet the price of five fliillings per 

 annum, for the produce of each tree, when grown, 

 (which I am of opinion is very moderate, confiderino- 

 what has been related;) then a "plantation often 

 thoufand trees will produce twenty-five hundred 

 pounds a year; which, managed by fix or feven ne- 

 groes, without the expence of furnaces, &c. is a 

 much greater profit than, I think, can be drawn from 

 any other produftion. 



In order to cultivate this plant in Europe, by way of 

 curiofity, it will be neceffary to have the nuts planted 

 into boxes of earth (in the countries where they grow) 

 foon after they are ripe ; becaufe,. if the nuts are 

 fent over, they will lofe their growing quality before 

 they arrive. Thefe boxes fliould be placed in a 

 fliady ikuation, and muft be frequently watered, in 

 order to forward the vegetation of the nuts. In 



day, to fcreen the plants from the fun : they iruft 

 alfo be frequently watered, but it muft be done vrith 

 caution, not to rot their roots. In this hot-bed th.e 

 ■ plants may remain till Michaelmas, when they rnuft 

 be removed into the bark-ftove, and plunged into 

 the tan, in the warmeft part of the ftove. Durino- 

 the winter feafon the plants muft be frequently re- 

 freftied with water, but it muft be given to tliem in 

 fmall quantities, yet in fummer they w^U require a 

 more plentiful ftiare. Thefe plants are too tender to 

 live in the open air in this country, even in the 1) jtcelb 



feafon of the year; therefore muft conrtantly remain 

 in the bark*ftove, obferving in very warm weather to 

 • let in a large fliare of frefli air to them, and in winter 

 to keep them very warm. As the plants increaie in 

 ■bulk, they fliould be fliifted into larger pots ; in do- 

 ing of which, -there muft be particular care taken not 

 to tear or bruife their roots, which often kills the 

 plants ; nor muft they be placed in pots too large, be- 

 caufe that is a flow,, but fure death to them. The 

 leaves of thefe plants muft be frequently w^afiied to 

 clear them from filth, which they are fubjeft to con- 

 trad: by remaining conftantly in the houfe ; and this 

 •becomes an harbour for fmall infefts, which will in- 

 feft the plants, and deftroy them, if rhey are not 

 timely waflied off. If thefe rules are duly obferved, 

 the plants will thrive very well, and may prodpce 

 flowers in this climate : but it will be very difficult to 

 obtain fruit from them ; for,' being of a very tender 

 - nature, they are fubjeft to many accidents in a cold 

 country, 



CACHRYS. Lin. Gen. Plant. 304. 

 The Characters are, 



■ // hath an umhellated flower^ the great or general umhel 

 being compofed of many finaller ; the mvohhrum of both 

 is compofed of many narrow fpear-floaped leaves ; the great 

 umbel is uniform. The flower hath five fpcar-fhaped^ 

 erc^^ equal petals. It hath five Jingle fiajnina the length 

 of the petals^ terminated by ftngle fummits, The turbi- 

 natcd germen is Jittiated under the receptacle^ fupporting 

 tzvo fiyles^ crowned by roundifij fiigma. The empalement 

 aftervmrd becovaes a large ^ oval^ blunt fruity dividing in 

 tzvo parts^ each having one large fungous feedy convex on 

 one fide ^ and plain on the other. 



This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feftion 

 of Linna^us's fifth clafs, intitled PentandriaDigynia, 

 the flower having five ftamina and twoftyles. 

 The Species are, 



1. Cachrys {Trifidus) foliis bipinatis, foliohs linearibus 

 .trifidis, feminibus l^vibus. Cachrys with bipinnatcd 

 leaves^ whofe lobes are linear^ and a fmooth fruit, Ca- 

 chrys femine fungofo tevi, foliis ferulaceis. Mon 

 Umb. 62. 



2. Cachrys (Sicula) foliis bipinnatls, foliolis linearibus ' 



acutis, feminibus fulcatis hifpidis. Lin. Sp. ^f^^, Ca- 



U u chrys 



