BVTTNEniACF.it. 97 



fruit is a coriaceous capsule, partaking' somewliat of tl>e form of 

 a small cucumber, reddish and marked with 10 grooves exter- 

 nally; internally there are five compartments filled with a ge- 

 latinous acid pulp, enveloping the seeds. When ripe, the exter- 

 nal surface is either a deep red, or a yellow, and the seeds rattle 

 in the capsule. The tree bears leaves, flowers, and fruit through- 

 out the year. The usual seasons, however, for gathering the 

 fruit, are the months of June and December. The seeds are 

 25-30 in number ; when fresh, they are of a reddish-brown 

 colour. They quickly lose their power of vegetation if taken 

 out of the capsule ; but if kept in it, they preserve it for a con- 

 siderable time. 



The Cacao is a native of the inter-tropical parts of South 

 America. It there delights in low rich plains, or in warm moist 

 valleys on the eastern side of the Andes, seldom growing at an 

 elevation beyond 200 feet above the level of the sea. It is there 

 in a state of the highest luxuriance, acquiring a height of from 40 

 to .50 feet. It is now cultivated in all the islands of America, as 

 well as in India. A moist climate has been found most suit- 

 able for it. As the root is of a tapering form, going deep in- 

 to the ground, it generally fails where the land is hard and 

 clayey. On the contrary, it thrives in a rich black or brownish 

 mould, containing a certain proportion of sand or gravel. 

 Where the land, however, is too rich and damp, the trees may 

 grow to a great size, but they produce very little fruit. It is 

 of importance also, that the situation be sheltered, as the tree, 

 from the softness and brittleness of the wood, is apt to suffer 

 from high winds. Hence a northern exposure has been found 

 particularly unfavourable. The cacao commences to bear about 

 the third year, and continues to do so, where the soil is suitable, 

 and where proper attention to the cultivation has been paid, for 

 twenty-five or thirty years. 



In a plantation, the trees are planted like the Coffee in straight 

 lines, leaving to each about 12 feet square. As the scorching 

 rays of the sun are very injurious, it has been found necessary 

 to plant either the Plaintain or Bannana, or the Erythrina 

 UMBROSA in the vacant spaces. This last is what is generally 

 employed in the Caraccas, and is there called the Bucare. As 

 for pruning, it is necessary to cut off all the old or superfluous 

 branches, and especially young shoots from the root. The 

 crop is very uncertain, as the tree is exposed to several diseases, 

 the most common of which are induced by injuries inflicted by 

 several kinds of insects, and by parasitic plants. 



As the fruit ripens, it is gathered from the tree, either by 

 the hand, or by means of a forked stick. On the Continent 

 the pods are buried in the earth for 30 or 40 days, in order that 

 a fermentation may be induced to remove the mucilaginous 

 matter which surrounds the seeds, and to destroy the vitality of 

 the germen. In the West India islands they are satisfied with 



VOL. I. li 



