THE COCHINEAL HARVEST. 125 



by the natives, and attached with thorns to the 

 leaves of the nopal. Here they quickly multiply 

 to an astonishing extent. A nopalerie is in per- 

 fection six years, after which the insects are taken 

 away and the plants cut down. 



The cochineal harvest takes place every year as 

 soon as the young insects begin to run about. 

 Assembling his friends, old and young, the owner 

 of the cochineal ground enters it at break of 

 day with a crowd of men, women, and children, 

 provided with knives six inches long and two 

 wide, and also with dishes and with baskets. The 

 blade of the knife is rounded at the top, so as to 

 injure neither the insect nor the plant; this is 

 passed gently between the skin of the nopal and 

 the clusters of cochineals with which it is covered, 

 causing the latter to fall into the dish or basket, 

 which the left hand holds ready to receive them. 

 A child of ten years old may thus gather ten 

 pounds of insects in a day, which being killed and 

 dried will yield about three pounds and a half of 

 cochineal. The best method of killing the insects 

 is by pouring boiling water on them, and allowing 



