18 



COCOA. 



The 15,000 fanegas, classified as Puerto Cabello, come from Bar- 

 quisimeto, San Felipe, Giiigiie, and from some places on the coast of 

 Core. The 9000 fanegas, classified as Maracaibo, belong to Merida, 

 Trujillo, and Ciicuta ; and the 16,000, exported from Carupano, 

 belong to various districts along the coast of Giiiria, Yaguaparo, and 

 within the Gulf of Paria. About a third part of the product of these 

 districts is embarked from the port of La Guayra. 



The introduction of the Trinidad seed has been very injurious to 

 the credit of the Venezuelan cocoa, formerly so highly esteemed, and, 

 as before stated, the difference is very palpable; the Creole bean 

 being soft, triangular (having three sides), agreeable to the taste, 

 and oily ; whereas the " Trinitario " is hard, with two sides, dry, and 

 bitter. The difference between them depends in some degree upon 

 the soil, and its effect upon the reproduction of the seed. 



In Trinidad, the high cultivation bestowed upon the native seed 

 has improved its original nature ; and in the Gulf of Paria, and other 

 places where it has been cultivated for many years, it has improved 

 so as to be almost equal to the " Creole " or Venezuelan cocoa, a 

 result owing entirely to the superior quality of the land, and the 

 improvement of the seed from the lapse of time, the cultivation 

 being of the most simple description. 



Seiior J. B. Medina, one of the principal cocoa planters of Ocumare 

 (on the coast between La Guayra and Puerto Cabello), a locality which 

 produces the greatest quantity of the best cocoa, stated the production 

 of that district in 1870 to be 64:00 fanegas, distributed thus: 



Fanogas. 



Puerto La Cruz, Sepe, and Chichiriviche . . . . 300 



Chuao 500 



Chorom 1000 



Cuyagu 400 



Cata 600 



Ocumare 1500 



Turiamo .. .. .. .. ' 600 



Patanemo 500 



Borburata 500 



San Estevan, Goaiguaza, TMoron, and Alpargaton . . 500 



6400 



This product, Senor Medina thought, would be doubled in the course 

 of five or six years, when the new plantations began to bear, and 

 remarks that although very little of the Trinidad seed had been 

 introduced into the district referred to, that little would soon dis- 

 appear, the planters having become convinced that although the 

 yield is much greater it does not compensate for the higher prices 

 obtained for the true " Creole cocoa," and in some parts of the 

 district in question the Trinidad plants are being uprooted. The 

 accompanying table of exports bears out Senor Guardia's estimate of 

 production, if 15,000 fanegas be taken as the amount of home con- 

 sumption, inasmuch as in twenty-five years (twenty-four averaged) 



