PLANTATIONS OF CACAO. 183 
returned to New Valencia, where they found a few 
French emigrants, the only ones they saw during 
five years in the Spanish colonies. 
The cacao-plantations have always been consider- 
ed as the principal source of the prosperity of these 
countries. The tree (Theobroma cacao) which pro- 
duces this substance is not now found wild in the 
woods to the north of the Orinoco, and begins to be 
seen only beyond the cataracts of Atures and May- 
pures ; but it abounds near the Ventuaro, and on 
the Upper Orinoco. In the plantations it vegetates 
so vigorously, that flowers spring out even from the 
woody roots wherever they are left uncovered. It 
suffers from the north-east winds ; and the heavy 
showers that fall during the winter season, from De- 
cember to March, are very injurious to it. Great 
humidity is favourable only when it augments 
gradually, and continues a long time without in- 
terruption. In the dry season, when the leaves and 
young fruit are wetted by a heavy shower, the lat- 
ter falls to the ground. or these reasons the ca- 
cao-harvest is very uncertain, and the causes of fail- 
ure are increased by the depredations of worms, in- 
sects, birds, and quadrupeds. This branch of agri- 
culture has the disadvantage, moreover, of obliging 
the new planter to wait eight or ten years for the 
fruit of his labours, and of yielding an article of 
very difficult preservation ; but it requires a much 
less number of slaves than most others, one being 
sufficient for a thousand trees, which at an average 
yield twelve fanegas annually. It appeared. pro- 
bable, that from 1800 to 1806 the yearly produce 
of the cacao-plantations of the capitania-general of 
Caraccas was at least 193,000 fanegas, or 299,200 
