CULTURE OF THE COCHINEAL. 123 



Mexican origin of such nurseries. The enclosure 

 should be secured by walls or a quick hedge ; not 

 from the fear that any animal will prey upon the 

 plants, since no large quadruped is known to have 

 a taste for them ; but simply to keep out such as 

 might by accident or fear be driven through the 

 grounds, and trample on and destroy the crop. 



An acre, or an acre and a half of land, when 

 planted with nopals, is sufficient to keep one 

 Indian well employed during six months of the 

 year. The plants should be so situated as to 

 receive the full influence of the morning sun, 

 which is of great consequence to the welfare of 

 the cochineal. Every part of the ground should 

 be as neat as a well-kept garden, and every in- 

 jurious insect watched for and destroyed. The 

 spider alone is permitted to weave her nets in 

 peace, and for this reason : she is the great enemy 

 of many insects which injuriously affect the cochi- 

 neals, while she herself does not touch one of them. 

 The nopal requires a good soil, where the drainage 

 is excellent. Shelter from the wind, and exposure 

 to the sun, are the two great requisites, and with 



