CROPS GROWN FOR BEVERAGES 



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Java. The plants require a warm, moist climate, and 

 a soil with good drainage and a large amount of organic 

 matter. The regu- 

 lar gathering of the 

 leaves does not be- 

 gin until the shrub 

 is five years old, 

 although a small 

 amount of leaves 

 may be taken in the 

 third year. The 

 leaves are picked 

 several times a 

 year. After pick- 

 ing, the leaves are 

 dried and rolled, 

 then dried again 

 and packed for sale. 



Cacao is the name 

 of the tree whose seeds are used to make cocoa and 

 chocolate. In the pods of this tree from thirty to fifty 

 nuts or beans are inclosed in a pulpy mass. After the 

 cacao beans are removed from the pods, they undergo 

 a fermentation process and are then dried. Then the 

 beans are shipped to factories in Europe and the 

 United States, and used to make cocoa and chocolate. 



Large quantities of cacao beans are raised in southern 

 Mexico, Central America, and the tropical parts of 

 South America. 



