CA.CAO on COCOA. 



13 



slirivels up and changes to a deep brovrn; the juice squeezed from 

 the mucilaginous pulp contained in the husks of these nuts ap- 

 pears like cream, and has a very grateful taste of a cordial quality. 

 The nuts have a light pleasant smell, and an unctuous, bitterish, 

 roughish (not ungrateful) taste. Those of jN'icaragua and Ca- 

 racas are the most agreeable and are the largest ; those of the 

 Erench Antilles, and our own West India islands, are the most 

 unctuous. 



The Mexicans, in preparing the chocolate paste, add some long- 

 pepper, a little annatto, and lastly vanilla ; some add cinnamon, 

 cloves and anise, and those who love perfumes, musk and ambergris. 



The finest American cacao is said to be that of Soconusco, but 

 the principal imports are from Caracas and Gruayaquil, which is 

 of a very good quality. The province of Barcelona, adjoining 

 Caracas exports annually from 200,000 to 300,000 cwt. 



The very large shipments from Gruayaquil are shown by the 

 following return. Of this quantity Spain takes the largest portion, 

 Mexico the next, and England receives but a very small quantity. 



Cacao exported from Guayaquil : — 



lbs. lbs. 



1833 . . . 6,605,786 1837 . . . 8,520,121 



1834 . . . 10,999,853 1838 . . . 7,199,057 



1835 . . . 13,800,851 1839 . . . 12,159,787 



1836 . . . 10,918,565 1840 . . . 14,266,942 



The exports of cacao from the port of La Guayra, has been as 

 follows in the years ending December 31, 



Fanegas. 



1850 .... 40,181 



1851 .... 47,951 



1852 .... 54,083 



Five fanegas are equal to one English quarter. The price of 

 cacao was, at the close of 1852, sixteen dollars the fanega. 



The province of Caracas, according to Humboldt, at the end of 

 the last century, produced annually 150,000 fanegas of cacao, of 

 which two-thirds were exported to Spain, and the remainder lo- 

 cally consumed. The shipments from the port of La Gruayra 

 alone averaged 83,000 to 100,000, or nearly double the present 

 shipments. In the early part of the present centi;u?y the captain- 

 generalship of Caracas produced nearly 200,000 fanegas, of which 

 about 115,000 were sent direct to Eiu-ope. The province of Ca- 

 racas then produced 150,000 fanegas; Maracaibo, 20,000; Cu- 

 mana, 18,000, and New Barcelona, 5,000. 



The vallies of Aragua, in the province of Caracas, those of 

 Cariaco, Carapano, of Eio Caribe and the banks of the river 

 Caroni, in Spanish Guiana, produce excellent cacoa in abundance. 



The tree there bears fruit in four years after it has been 

 planted, the following year still more, and increases in fecundity 

 until the ninth or tenth year, when it is in full bearing. 



The banks of the Magdalena, in the vicinit}^ of Santa Martha 

 and Carthagena, are famed for the excellent cacao they produce. 

 "This tree," says Bonnycastle (Spanish America, vol. 1, p. 257), 



