GAG 
I fhall therefore fubjoin the beft account of this plant, 
and the culture which it requires in thofe countries, 
with the profits which have arifen from it to thofe 
who have planted fome of thefe trees of late years, 
by way of experiment, in order to excite others to 
follow their example ; and fhall afterward give di- 
rections for cultivating it in England, by way of 
curiofity. 
In making a plantation of Chocolate-trees, you 
muft firft be very careful in the choice of the fituation, 
and the foil, otherwife there will be fmall hopes of 
fuccefs.. As to the fituation, it fhould be in a place 
where the trees may be protected from ftrong winds, 
to which if they are expofed, they will foon be de- 
ftroyed : fo that in ftich places where torrents of water 
have wafhed away the earth fo as to leave broad and 
deep furrows (which the inhabitants of thofe iflands 
call gullies,) thefe trees will thrive exceedingly: and 
as thefe are very frequently to be found in thofe 
iflands, and many of them are of large extent, and 
not much cultivated, it may be a great improve- 
ment to fome eftates, which, at prelent, are of fmall 
value. The foil in thefe gullies is generally rich and 
moift, which is what thefe trees require ; fo that they 
will make great progrefs in thefe places, as hath been 
experienced by thofe perfons, who have lately made 
trials of the plants in thefe fituations ; but where 
there are not a fiifEcient number of thefe gullies, 
choice fhould be made of a fituation which is well 
flickered by large trees-, or, if there are not trees 
already grown, there fhould be three or four rows 
planted round the fpot which is defigned for the Cho- 
colate-trees, of fuch forts which are of quickeft 
growth ; and within thefe rows there fhould be fome 
Plantain-trees, planted at proper diftances, which 
being very quick of growth, and the leaves very 
large, will afford a kindly flielter to the young 
Chocolate-trees placed between them. 
The Chocolate-trees which are cultivated, feldom 
grow to more than fourteen or fifteen feet in height, 
nor do they fpread their branches very wide ; fo that 
if the Plantain-trees are placed in rows, about twenty 
four feet afunder, there will be room enough for two 
rows of Chocolate-trees between each row of Plan- 
tains and if they are placed at ten feet diftance in 
the rows, it will be fufficient room for them. Thofe 
trees which are found wild in uncultivated places, 
are generally of much larger growth, which may be 
occafioned by the other trees, amongft which thefe 
are found growing for, being protected from the 
winds by thofe, they are not fo much in danger there- 
from, as thofe which are cultivated : and the other 
trees clofely furrounding them, will naturally draw 
them up to a greater height : however, that is not a 
defirable quality in thefe trees , for the lower they 
are, the better the fruit may be gathered without 
hurting the trees, and the lefs they are expofed to the 
injuries of the weather * fo that the inhabitants never 
defire . to have their trees above twelve or fourteen 
feet high. 
The foil upon which thefe trees thrive to molt ad- 
vantage, is a moift, rich, deep earth ; for they ge- 
nerally fend forth one tap root, which runs very 
deep into the ground, fo that wherever they meet 
with a rocky bottom near the furface, they feldom 
thrive, nor are they of long continuance but in a 
rich, deep, moift foil, they will produce fruit in 
pretty good plenty the third year from feed, and will 
continue fruitful for feveral years after. 
Before the plantation is begun, the ground fhould 
be well prepared by digging it deep, and clearing it 
from the roots of the trees, and noxious plants, 
which, if fuffered to remain in the ground, will fhoot 
up again after the firft rain, and greatly obftrubt the 
growth of the plants fo that it will be almoft im- 
poflible to clear the ground from thofe roots, after 
the Chocolate plants are come up, without greatly 
injuring them. 
When the ground is thus prepared, the rows fhould 
be marked out by a line, where the nuts are to be 
2 
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\, l •' \ 
planted, fo as that they may be placed in a quincunx 
order, at equal diftance every way, or at leaft that 
the Plantain-trees between them may form a quin- 
cunx, with the two. rows of Chocolate-trees, which 
are placed between each row of them. 
In making a plantation of Chocolate-nut-trees, the 
nuts muft be planted where the trees are to remain j 
for if the plants are tranfplanted, they feldom live ; 
and ckofe which furvive it, will never make thriving 
trees * for, as I before obferved, thefe trees have ft 
tender tap root, which, if broke, or any way injured, 
the tree commonly decays. 
The nuts fhould always be planted in a rainy feafon, 
or at leaft when it is cloudy weather, ana fome hopes 
of rain falling foon after. As the fruit ripens at two 
different feafons, viz. at Midfummer and at Thrift- 
mas, the plantation may be made at either of thofe j 
but the chief care muft be to choofe fuch nuts as are 
perfectly ripe and found, otherwife the whole trouble 
and expence will be loft. The manner of planting 
the nuts is, to make three holes in the ground, within 
two or three inches of each other* at the place where 
every tree is to ftand * and into each of thefe holes 
fhould be one found nut planted about two inches 
deep, covering them gently with’ earth. The reafori 
for putting in three nuts at every place is, becaufe 
they feldom all fucceed 5 or, if molt of them grow, 
the plants will not be all equally vigorous fo that 
when the plants have had one year’s growth, it is very 
eafy to draw up all the weak unpromifing plants, 
and leave the moft vigorous * but in doing this, 
great care fhould be had to the -remaining plants, fo 
as not to injure or difturb their roots in drawing the 
other out. 
It is very proper to obferve, that the Chocolate-nuts 
will not retain their growing faculty long after they 
are taken from the trees, fo that there is no poffibility 
of tranfporting them to any great diftance for plant- 
ing * nor lhould they be kept long out of the ground, 
in the natural places of their growth. There are 
fome authors who have written the hiftory of this 
tree, and diftinguifh three different forts of the nuts, 
from the colour of their fkins, one of which is of a 
whitifh green colour, one of a deep red, and the third 
of a red and yellow colour but thefe are not fpeci- 
fically different, but all arijfe from feeds of the fame 
tree, as is the cafe of our Filberts, which differ in 
the colour of their (kins, but are of the fame colour 
within, and have the fame tafte. There are others, 
who would diftinguifh thefe nuts by their fize and 
form, fome being large and thick, others almoft as 
fiat as Beans ; but thele differences, I have been cre- 
dibly informed, arife from fome accident, as thofe 
trees which are young and vigorous, and grow upon, 
a deep rich foil, will always produce larger and better 
nourifhed fruit, than thofe which ftand on a (hallow 
dry ground, and are unthriving trees : as will alfo 
the age of a tree make a great alteration in the fize 
of the fruit * for old trees are generally obferved to 
produce fmaller and flatter nuts than thofe which are 
young, or than the fame trees did bear while they 
were vigorous. 
When the Chocolate-trees firft appear above ground, 
they are very tender, and fubjedt to great injuries 
from the ftrong winds, the fcorching fun, or great 
droughts, for which reafon the planters are obliged 
to guard againft all thefe enemies, firft, by making 
choice of a fheltered fituation, or at leaft by planting 
trees to form a flielter * and, if poffible, to have the 
plantation near a river, for the conveniency of wa- 
tering the plants the firft feafon, until they have made 
ftrong roots, and are capable of drawing their non- 
rifhment from fome depth in the earth, where they 
meet with moifture. But in order to flielter the 
plants from the fcorching rays of the fun, they ge- 
nerally plant two rows of Caffada between each row 
of Chofcolate-trees, which will grow about feven or 
eight feet high, and fcreen the young plants from 
the violence of the fun the firft feafon after which 
time, they will be in lefs danger of injury therefrom ; 
, ’ and 
