April i, 1886.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



725 



at first ouly three or four iuches above the surface, | 

 and alivsted to six or seven inchBs as the plants grow. ' 

 T^fually this elevation is repeated once more. I 



All thi» t:iking plaee during the lainy season, the ' 

 jilants have reached a good size before the advent of 

 the dry weather, and so do not call for any artificial j 

 water supply. Advantage is taken of the ensuing dry 

 season to clear the land an<l prepare the ground for 

 the new eocal. (In the manner in which this is done 

 depends much of the future well-being of the plants. 

 The ground should be thoroughly powdered to the 

 depth of two, and, if possible, three feet, all roots and j 

 large stones being removed. On these steep slopes j 

 it is necessary to terrace, the terraces being supported 

 by stone walls, the stone laid dry. The width of the 

 terraces, according to the slope, varies from several 

 feet, with a number of rows of plants, to much less 

 than the height of the wall, only a single row of 

 plants beink admissable. It is here generally believed 

 that shade tends to the production of the best quality of 

 leaves ; so the cocales are planted thickly with a small 

 broad-topped leguminous tree related to the St. .John's 

 bread, but whose name I cannot at this moment recall. 

 There is no doubt that this is a mistake. I have made 

 repeated comparative assays of shade-grown and sun- 

 grown leaves from adjoining plants, and invariably j 

 founil the latter much richer in total alkaloids. I judge 

 the custom to have arisen from two considerations. 

 There is, as 1 have stated, a period of two or three 

 months when the plants receive no rain, and then these 

 trees atford a protection from the fierce heat. Secondly, \ 

 shade conduces to the production of a large, smooth, 

 beautifid leaf, of elegant colour, and thus adds to the 

 a/i/ieiinince of the proiluct. The terraces being thus 

 prepared, on the advent of the permanent rainy season 

 the plants, now from 8 to lli inches high, are trans- 

 planted, being set from one-half to sbt inches apart, 

 according to ideas of the haciendero. From this time 

 until the first leaves are picked the greatest care must 

 be taken to keep tho soil thoroughly stirred and free 

 from weeds. The plants having been transferred 

 in October or November of one year, the first picking 

 is made in March or .Vpril of the second following year, 

 one year and a half from the time of transplanting, or 

 two and one-half from the seeds. In case an insufhcient 

 space hf\s been prepared, the remaining plants are often 

 lefk until the following year, and then transplanted, 

 the operation being much more dangerous to the life 

 of the plants. 



The chief danger of picking the leaves earlier than ' 

 the period indicated above is not the strain upon the 

 vitality of the young plant, as many of the leaves drop 

 otf tiiemselves, but because it is almost impossible to 

 avoid breaking off tho very tender tips of the twigs, 

 the result being fatal to many plants. Immediately 

 after this first picking, fresh leaves develop with great 

 rapidity, and in .fuly or .Vngust of the same year the 

 plant tlowers for the first time. The lovely v.*hite 

 dowers, if undisturbed, remain from three to six days ; 

 bat from the very first they are dislodged by the slightest 

 jar, the corolla falling entire, although it is morpho- 

 logically polypetalous. The fruit ripens in December 

 and January. 



During the first few ypar.< the percentage of alkal- 

 oid increases rapidly, reaching its maximum at or 

 before the age of ten years. At the age of twenty it I 

 begins to diminish, hut with extreme slowness, so th.at ' 

 the plants are practically in their prime up to the 

 age of thirty-five or forty. It is jTrobablo that the 

 decline is then due rather to the exhaustion of the 

 loil than of the vitality of the plant. Fertilization of 

 the soil has never been resorted to. It is probable, 

 as suggested by Mr. Lohse, that as much can be done 

 (or the coca in this way as has been done for other 

 plimts. 



A coca harvest is called a iiilta, an Indian word 

 moaning a division or drawing of lots, and there are 

 from three to five in a year, aecorrling to the' season. 

 The time of picking is determined solely by the rindi- 

 tion of the leaves. When they have become mature 

 they turn yellow if iti the dry sea.TOo, and brown if in 

 the rainy, aud within eight days at tbs oatsiJe will 



fall to the ground and be lost. As soon as tho mita 

 is over, the ground is cleared from weeds, and, under 

 au ignorant notion th.it further cleaning is injurious, 

 is left undisturbed until after the next mita. But 

 Mr. I(ohsc has tried the plan of keeping the ground 

 clean, with the result, thus far. of receiving the next 

 crop in little more than one-half tlu! time required 

 by his neighbours. No irrigation is resorted to during 

 the dry season. Although it is i)ossible that good 

 might result, at least to the welfare of the plant and 

 the size of the crop, I suspect that after a long time 

 an abundant and steady supply of water would result 

 in a decrease in the amount of alkaloids. Mr. Lohse 

 has tried the experiment of mulching at the end of the 

 wet season with a few inches of banana-leaves or other 

 refuse, with excellent effect upon the plants during 

 the succeeding dry season. 



This plant is subject to only two diseases of any 

 importance. The first is taja, which I suppose to be tho 

 result of a fungus which alitacks the undeveloped leaves 

 and tender twigs. It is said by some to be caused by 

 careless picking, in which the twigs are broken. By 

 others it is said to result from the planting of seeds taken 

 from young plants. The only remedy is to remove and 

 burn the diseased portions. The second disease, if such 

 it can be called, is the ravages of a caterpillar called 

 " ulo,'' which makes its appearance in December, 

 an destroys the crop so quickly that it admits of no 

 remedy. 



The method of picking and drying the coca has been 

 so often anil so well described of late that it is not 

 necessary to dwell upon it. Ooca-plcking is a profession 

 to which the chililren are trained from a tender age. 

 The leaves are picked singly, both hands being employed 

 with a rapid alternating motion, which strips a twig 

 in an instant, (xreat care is taken to avoid breaking 

 the twigs, and the young leaves are not picked. Little 

 sacks are tied about the waist, or the women's aprons 

 are pinned or .sewn into the required form. They 

 are then transferred to larger sacks, which must be 

 filled and emptied with gre.at promptness, or the leaves 

 will become heated and turn black. 



The price here ]iaiil for picking is a Bolivian dollar, 

 equal to about seventy-one cents United States currency, 

 for each thirty pounds, which, when dry, will weigh 

 about twelve pounds. 



The leaves are exposed to a hot .sun upon a pavement 

 of nicely-fitted flat stones, and stirrecl occasionally 

 until dry. Under the most favourable conditions tho 

 drying is accomplished in about three hours. About 

 the coca place are built the storage ami packing sheds. 

 These are furnished with very broad doors, and men 

 are in constant attendance to sweep the coca with 

 brush-brooms through these broad portals at the 

 slightest indication of rain. A very few drops of rain 

 are suflicieut to decolorize and ruin the sale of the coca, 

 though it is my impression that such decolorization, 

 if produceil by but little rain, is no indication of lo.ss 

 of cocaine. During the first few days that the dry 

 coca lies within the storage-sheds it undergoes a slight 

 sweating process. 



AVhen I come now to speak of the best methods of 

 packing the coca for export, it is fair to say that nothing 

 definite is known. Such coca as has reached Europe or 

 the ff nited States in good condition has done so purely 

 by accident; for jjerhaps the very next lot, dried, 

 packed and shii>p(>d as nearly as possible in the same 

 manner, has arrived entirely ruined. I have tried many 

 methods, and as often as I had thought that the secret 

 was discovered my hopes have resulted in disappoint' 

 ment. 



As regards the exportation of the culture of coca, the 

 cxireriment has been trieil. I believe, but once. Several 

 years since, Jitr. V. h. Steinart. of La Taz, shipped a 

 small quantity of seeds vii: London to Ceylon, and 

 during the past season the first products were shipped 

 to London and sold at a hig'i price. Seeds for export 

 shmild be exposed for several days to a hot sun, so as 

 to rapidly dry the ffe.shy exterior, which thus forms a 

 protection to the germ within. 



It is itiy opinion that the oocaplaut is adapt«l for 

 culture in many countries where it is now unknown 



