404 ULLOA's voyage to south AMERICA. 



fix inches, and its breadth three or four. It is very fmooth, foft, and terminates in a 

 point, like that of the China orange tree, but with fome difference in colour, the former 

 being of a dull green, and has nothing of the glofs obfervable on the latter ; nor is the 

 tree fo full of leaves as that of the orange. From the flem, as well as the branches, 

 grow the pods which contain the cacao. The firlt appearance is a white bloffom, not 

 very large, whofe piftil contains the embryo, of the pod, which grows to the length of 

 fix or feven inches, and four or five in breadth, refembling a cucumber in ftiape ; and 

 ftriated in a longitudinal dlreOion, but deeper than the cucumber. The pods are not 

 precifely of the above dimenfions, nor are they always proportionate to the ftem or 

 branch, to which they adhere in the form of excrefcences, fome being much fmaller ; 

 and it is not extraordinary to fee one of the leafl fize on the principal trunk, and one 

 prodigioufly large near the extremity of a flender branch. But it is obferved that, when 

 two grow in contadl, one of them attrafts all the nutritive juice, and thrives on the 

 decay of ihe other. 



The colour of the pod while growing is green, nearly refembling that of the leaf, but 

 when arrived at its full perfeftion, it gradually changes to a yellow. The fhell which 

 covers it is thin, fmooth, and clear. When the fruit is arrived at its full growth, it is 

 gathered ; and being cut into flices, its pulp appears white and juicy, with fmall feeds 

 regularly arranged, and at that time of no greater confidence than the reft of the pulp, 

 but whiter, and contained by a very fine delicate membrane, full of liquor, refembling 

 milk, but tranfparent, and fomething vifcid ; at this time it may be eaten like any other 

 fruit. Its tafte is a fweetifh acid j but in this country is thought to be promotive of 

 fevers. The yellownefs of the pod indicates that the cacao begins to feed on its fub- 

 ftance, to acquire a greater confiftence, and that the feeds begin to fill ; the colour 

 gradually fading till they are fully completed, when the dark-brown colour of the fhell, 

 into which the yellow has deviated, indicates that it is a proper time to gather it. The 

 thicknefs of the fhell is now about two lines, and each feed found incTofed in one of 

 the compartments formed by the tranfverfe membranes of the pod. After gathering 

 the fruit, it is opened, and the feeds taken out and laid on Ikins kept for that pur- 

 pofe, or more generally on vijahua leaves, and left in the air to dry. When fully 

 dried, they are put into leather bags, fent to market, and fold by the carga or 

 load, which is equal to eighty-one pounds; but the price is far from fixed, being 

 fometimes fold for fix or eight rials per carga, though lefs than the charge of 

 gatl'ering : but the general price is between three and four dollars, and, at the time 

 of the armadas, when the demand is very large, rifes in proportion. 



This tree produces its fruit twice a year, and in the fame plenty and goodnefs. 

 The quantity gathered throughout the whole jurifdiftion of Guayaquil amounts at 

 leaft to 50,000 cargas. 



The cacao trees delight fo exceflively in water, that the ground where they are 

 planted muft be reduced to a mire, and, if not carefully fupplied with water, they 

 die. They muft alfo be planted in the fhade, or at leaft defended from the per- 

 pendicular rays of the fun; accordingly, they are always placed near other larger 

 trees, under the fhelter of which they grow and flourifh. No foil can be better 

 adapted to the nature of thefe trees than that of Guayaquil, as it favours them in 

 both refpe6ls ; in the former, as confifting wholly of favannahs or wide plains, over- 

 flowed in winter, and in fummer plentifully watered by canals ; and, with regard to 

 the latter, it abounds in other trees, which afford them the requifite fhelter. 



All the care neceffary in the culture of this tree confifts in clearing the ground from 

 the weeds and Ihrubs abounding in fo wet a foil : and this is fo neceffary, that, if 



1 2 neglefted. 



