16 



COCOA. 



father, Mr. John Alderson. The two former were situated in 

 Caucagua, and each one yielded an average yearly crop of 1000 

 fanegas, but are now abandoned by their owners, and rented as 

 uncultivated lands for an almost nominal sum of about 300 dollars 

 (or 4:61.) a year. My father's estate, situated in Curiepe, gave from 

 700 to 800 fanegas a year ; at present it produces from 200 to 250 

 fanegas ; and since the drought of 1868-9, considerably less even 

 than that ; the richness of the soil and other local circumstances pre- 

 vented its entire destruction and abandonment, such as happened in 

 Caucagua. When in 1863 peace was again restored, all the pastoral 

 and agricultural inhabitants of the country devoted themselves imme- 

 diately to the reparation of their losses with the determination and 

 energy of a people worthy of better rulers. Notwithstanding that 

 several large properties continued to be abandoned by their owners 

 from various causes, the remainder began gradually to progress, 

 whilst at the same time a multitude of young plantations sprang 

 up, under the personal exertions of an equal number of small pro- 

 prietors, many of them formerly slaves. Industry prospered, and 

 the yield of several sections of Eio Chico, Curiepe, Tacarigua, 

 Capaya, and Caucagua, which together form the valleys of Barlo- 

 vento, had probably increased from 5000, which they yielded in 1863, 

 to 7000 or 8000 fanegas ; and gave promise of attaining, before long, 

 their former yield and prosperity, when the terrible drought of 1868 

 and 1869 again threatened the cocoa estates with extinction. Portions 

 of many estates were destroyed by fire, and many thousands com- 

 pletely burnt up by the drought, whilst the remainder were so 

 debilitated that little or no crop could be expected from them for a 

 few years. The cocoa estates on and near the river Tuy were an 

 exception to the general ruin; so much so, that the soil being rich 

 and humid in the extreme, the drought had upon them the effect of 

 drainage, and their crops have since been remarkably abundant. The 

 introduction of Trinidad seed has, doubtless, had a bad effect upon 

 the reputation of ' Caracas ' cocoa ; but the conviction that is daily 

 gaining ground of the unadvisability of introducing the ' Trinitario ' 

 on the one hand, and on the other the great improvement that takes 

 place in the bean produced from the seed in the lapse of time, lead 

 me to conclude that the period is not far distant when ' Caracas ' 

 cocoa will have re-established its good name." 



Senor Basilizo Mayz, a gentleman from Cumana, estimates the 

 product of cocoa in the eastern states of Cumana and Maturin at 

 40,000 fanegas, and 40,000 more for the rest of the Republic, or 

 80,000 fanegas altogether, reckoning home consumption as well as 

 exportation. He distributes and classifies the eastern crop thus : 

 Carupano, Eio Caribe, principally " Trinitario " ; Taguaraparo, 

 Yrapa, somewhat less " Trinitario," average selling price 18 dollars 

 per fanega; Giiiria, Soro, the greater part good cocoa. Maturin, 

 mixed, does not yield much ; average price, 36 dollars per fanega. 



Mr. Brandt, a gentleman formerly deputed by the Venezuelan 

 Government to inspect the custom-houses of the eastern provinces of 

 the Republic, states that the annual exportation of cocoa from the 

 port of Carupano alone is from 15,000 to 20,000 fanegas. Mr. Brandt 



