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COCOA AND CHOCOLA TE. 



" Cacao is planted from fresh seed, 

 each hole, which are 5 yards apart, in 

 Formerly they were 2 or 3 yards apart, 

 perience has shown that this method does 

 not give the plant sufficient air, light, and 

 nourishment. 



"The preparation of land for a 

 cacao plantation consists in clearing 

 small trees, underbrush, and weeds, 

 the large umbrageous trees. The 

 the trees is planted in corn, arrow- 

 the latter in abundance, with the 

 affording shade to the delicate 

 ducing an immediate income 

 until the fifth or sixth year, 

 reached a height of 8 or 

 bear fruit, and enters 

 ity. Then auxiliary 

 ground is left 



Four or five are put in 



rows, 

 but ex- 



it of 

 but leaving 

 space between 

 root, or plantains, 

 double object of 

 cacao plant and pro- 

 These crops are grown 

 when the cacao has 

 9 feet, commences to 

 upon a stage of perfect vital- 

 crops cease to be planted and the 

 clear, save for the umbrageous 

 trees, which gen- ^R^HOB erally stand at intervals of 40 or 

 50 yards. The Jff^ HHll trees usua % selected are the guabo, 

 palo prieto, ^H ^^ ^r or guachepeli. 



"In the ^^H first few years, the plant is pruned occa- 



sionally, ^H ^m in -order that it may ' run to fruit ' more 

 quick- JpjL ^L^Jy- Manures have never been used, even where 

 the ^H ftltYtiM ground has been cultivated for over a century, 



and no irrigation is practised. The sediment 

 spread over the land by the rains during the 

 rainy season and the decaying vegetation appear to 

 afford sufficient nutriment. In some haciendas, how- 

 ever, the proprietors pile up leaves and other vegetable 

 matter found in the vicinity of the tree at its foot, and 



