﻿190 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  Harriet 
  Chalmers 
  Adams 
  

  

  A 
  TRAVELER 
  BEING 
  HOISTED 
  ONTO 
  THE 
  PIER 
  AT 
  ACAJUTEA 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  ship's 
  anchorage, 
  a 
  mile 
  out 
  at 
  sea, 
  the 
  traveler 
  comes 
  

   to 
  shore 
  in 
  a 
  launch 
  and 
  is 
  hoisted 
  onto 
  the 
  pier 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  

   crane-operated 
  chair 
  or 
  basket. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  surf 
  is 
  rough 
  and 
  

   wind 
  sways 
  the 
  chair. 
  Then 
  the 
  traveler 
  breathes 
  a 
  sigh 
  of 
  relief 
  

   as 
  he 
  steps 
  ashore. 
  

  

  area 
  of 
  750 
  square 
  miles. 
  It 
  has 
  of 
  late 
  

   years 
  been 
  introduced 
  into 
  Ceylon. 
  

  

  T 
  watched 
  the 
  balsam 
  tappers 
  at 
  work. 
  

   Their 
  method 
  is 
  primitive. 
  Although 
  the 
  

   tree 
  holds 
  sap 
  all 
  year 
  round, 
  the 
  tapping 
  

   takes 
  place 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  season. 
  The 
  

   outer 
  bark 
  is 
  first 
  cut 
  with 
  a 
  blunt 
  instru- 
  

   ment, 
  leaving 
  the 
  inner 
  bark 
  exposed, 
  the 
  

   flow 
  of 
  sap 
  being 
  stimulated 
  by 
  the 
  ap- 
  

   plication 
  of 
  a 
  burning 
  torch. 
  

  

  After 
  several 
  days 
  the 
  sap 
  exudes 
  

   slowly, 
  but 
  steadily. 
  Cloths 
  attached 
  to 
  

   the 
  wounds, 
  having 
  become 
  impregnated 
  

   with 
  the 
  balm, 
  are 
  collected, 
  thrown 
  into 
  

  

  boiling 
  water, 
  and 
  sub- 
  

   jected 
  to 
  heavy 
  pres- 
  

   sure. 
  The 
  crude 
  bal- 
  

   sam 
  settles 
  at 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  

   is 
  then 
  poured 
  off. 
  

  

  The 
  balsam, 
  later 
  

   clarified 
  through 
  the 
  

   evaporation 
  of 
  impuri- 
  

   ties, 
  is 
  packed 
  in 
  metal 
  

   cases 
  for 
  shipment 
  to 
  

   Europe 
  and 
  America, 
  

   where 
  it 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  

   medicinal 
  purposes 
  

   and 
  as 
  a 
  basis 
  for 
  per- 
  

   fume. 
  Every 
  morning 
  

   at 
  the 
  finca 
  a 
  servant 
  

   walked 
  through 
  the 
  

   house 
  waving 
  a 
  burn- 
  

   ing 
  balsam 
  branch. 
  We 
  

   lived 
  in 
  an 
  atmosphere 
  

   deliciously 
  perfumed. 
  

  

  TO 
  A 
  BRAZILIAN 
  SCHOOL 
  

  

  teacher 
  is 
  due 
  Sal- 
  

   vador's 
  PROS- 
  

   PERITY 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  coffee-tree, 
  

   however, 
  with 
  its 
  

   creamy 
  flower 
  and 
  

   ruddy 
  berry, 
  rather 
  

   than 
  the 
  rare 
  balsam, 
  

   lay 
  the 
  wealth 
  of 
  our 
  

   host 
  and 
  of 
  neighbor- 
  

   ing 
  planters. 
  A 
  few 
  

   seasons 
  ago 
  Salvador's 
  

   coffee 
  output 
  totaled 
  

   seventy 
  -five 
  million 
  

   pounds. 
  It 
  goes 
  mostly 
  

   to 
  France 
  and 
  the 
  

   United 
  States. 
  

  

  "We 
  should 
  erect 
  

   a 
  monument," 
  a 
  Sal- 
  

   vadorian 
  friend 
  said 
  to 
  me, 
  "to 
  the 
  Bra- 
  

   zilian 
  school 
  teacher 
  who, 
  in 
  1840, 
  

   brought 
  the 
  coffee-tree 
  here 
  from 
  his 
  own 
  

   country. 
  The 
  day 
  he 
  planted 
  that 
  first 
  

   coffee-tree 
  in 
  his 
  garden 
  he 
  laid 
  the 
  cor- 
  

   ner-stone 
  of 
  our 
  national 
  prosperity." 
  

  

  The 
  house 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  were 
  enter- 
  

   tained 
  was 
  built 
  with 
  a 
  wide 
  shaded 
  ve- 
  

   randa 
  on 
  three 
  sides. 
  With 
  its 
  French 
  

   furnishings 
  and 
  cosmopolitan 
  week-end 
  

   guests, 
  it 
  might 
  well 
  have 
  been 
  situated 
  

   in 
  California 
  or 
  Florida 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  brick- 
  

   paved 
  courtyard, 
  where 
  coffee 
  beans 
  were 
  

   spread 
  to 
  dry, 
  was 
  distinctly 
  Central 
  

  

  