The Sensitive Brazil Nut 



^MlM 



The Nuts Are Stored on Board River Lighters to the 

 Nearest Port of Call for Ocean Steamers. They 

 Are Turned Over with Shovels Each Day and Ventila- 

 tors Keep a Current of Air Circulating Below Decks 



APOD with a diameter of from five 

 to six inches, in a thick, hard 

 woody outer covering, contains 

 the so-called Brazil nut of commerce, 

 from twenty to twenty-four of 

 these seeds being closely packed 

 in one shell. On board the ves- 

 sels the greatest care is taken of 

 the nuts. They arc turned over 

 daily and kept supplied with a 

 constant current of fresh air. 

 Twenty-four hours of stormy 

 weather in which the ventilators 

 have to be closed is suflicient to 

 ruin an entire cargo. Every pre- 

 caution is taken to kee|) the 

 atmosphere "comfortable," for 

 the sensitive nut feels the slight- 

 est change of lem[)eralure. 



As they begin to ripen the pods 

 fail and are gathered by the na- 

 tives, who, cutting the outer 



shell with a machete, collect the nuts 

 and carry them in baskets to the 

 rivers on which they are transported 

 by canoe, launch, or river steamers, to 

 the nearest port of call for ocean 

 steamers on the Amazon River. 



Steel Tubs Are Used in Transferring the Nuts 

 to the Oce.in Going Steamers from the Lighters 

 as an Extra Precaution Against Dampness 



380 



