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iihd the following feafon, when the Caffada is taken 
up for ufe, the ground ftio'tfld be worked between 
the young plants, being very careful not to injure 
their roots by this operation. This method of plant- 
ing the Caffada between the young Chocolate-trees' 
is of great advantage to the planter •, for when the 
roots of the Caffada are taken up for ufe, it will de- 
fray the expence of keeping the ground clean from 
weeds, without which the young plants will come to 
nothing. The Plantains alfo, which will be fit to 
cut in about twelve months after planting, will de- 
fray the whole expence. of preparing the ground, fo 
that the produce of the Chocolate-trees will be neat 
profit; for as the Plantains produce fruit and decay, 
they will be fucceeded by fuckers, which will produce 
fruit in eight months after ; whereby there will be a 
continual fupply of food for the negroes, which will 
more than pay for keeping the ground wrought, and 
clear from weeds, until the Chocolate-trees "begin to 
produce fruit, which is generally the third year after 
planting. 
The planters ufually fet the Plantain-trees two or 
three months before the Chocolate-nuts are ripe, 
that they may be large enough to afford fhelter to the 
young plants when they come up ; and the Caffada 
is always planted a month or fix weeks before the 
Chocolate-nuts, for the fame reafon. Some people 
plant Potatoes, others Cucumbers and Melons, or 
Water Melons, between the rows of Chocolate plants; 
which, they fay, will prevent the weeds from rifing 
to injure the young plants ; for as ail thefe trail on 
the ground, they occupy the whole furface, and pre- 
vent the weeds from growing: but where this is 
pradfiled, it fhould be done with great caution, left, 
by being over-covetous, you injure the young Cho- 
colate-nuts fo much, that they may never recover 
it ; therefore great care fhould be taken to reduce the 
fhoots of thefe plants, whenever they approach the 
Chocolate-trees ; otherwife they will foon greatly in- 
jure, if not totally deftroy them. 
In about feven or eight days after the Chocolate-nuts 
are planted, the young plants will begin to appear 
above ground ; when they fhould be carefully looked 
over, to fee if any of them are attacked by infodts ; 
in which cafe, if the infodts are not timely deftroyed, 
they will foon devour all the young plants; or if 
there fhould be any weeds produced near the plants, 
they fhould be carefully cut clown with a hoe ; in 
doing which, great care fhould betaken that neither 
the tender flioot, nor the rind of the bark are injured. 
About twenty days after the plants have appeared, 
they will be five or fix inches high, and have four or 
fix leaves, according to the ftrength of the plants. 
Thefe leaves are always produced by pairs, oppofite 
to each other, as are alfo the branches ; fo that they 
make very regular handfome heads, if they are not 
injured by winds. In ten or twelve months they will 
be two feet and a half high, and have fourteen or 
fixteen leaves. By this time the Caffada, which was 
planted between the rows of Chocolate plants, will 
have large roots fit for ufe, therefore fhould be taken 
up ; and the ground being then wrought over again, 
will greatly encourage the young plants. 
In two years time the plants will have grown to the 
height of three feet and a half, or fometimes four 
feet, many of which will begin to flower ; but the 
careful planters always pull off all thefe bloffoms ; 
for if they are permitted to remain to produce fruit, 
they will fo much weaken the trees, that they feldom 
recover their ftrength again, fo as to become vigo- 
rous. When thefe plants are two years and a half 
old, they will produce flowers again, feme of which 
are often left to bear fruit; but the moft curious 
planters pull off all thefe, and never leave any to pro- 
duce fruit until the third year ; and then but a few, 
in proportion to the ftrength of the trees ; by which 
method, their trees always produce larger and better 
nourifhed fruit, than thofe which are fullered to bear 
a larger quantity, and will- continue much longer in 
vigour. The fourth year they lliffer their trees to bear 
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a moderate crop, but they generally pull off fome 
flowers from thofe trees which are weak, that they 
may recover ftrength before they are too old. 
Jb torn the time when the flowers fall off, to the ma- 
turity of the fruit, is about four months. It is eafy 
to know when the fruit is ripe by the colour of the 
pods, which become yellow on the fide next the fun. 
In gathering the fruit, they generally place a 'negro 
to each row of treesj who, being furnifhed with a 
bafket, goes from tree to tree, and cuts off all thofe 
which are ripe, leaving the others for a longer time 
to ripen. When the bafket is full, he carries the 
fruit, and lays it in a heap at one end of the plan- 
tation ; where, after they have gathered the whole 
plantation, they cut the pods lengthways, and take 
out all the nuts, being careful to diveft them of the 
pulp which clofely adheres to them ; and then they 
carry them to the houfe, where they lay them in large 
calks, or other veffels of wood, railed above ground, 
and cover them with leaves of the Indian Reed and 
mats, upon which they lay fome boards, putting 
fome ftones thereon to keep them down clofe, in 
ordei to prefs the nuts. In thefe veffels the nuts are 
kept four or five days ; during which time, they muft 
be ftirred and turned every morning ; otherwife they 
will be in danger of perifhing from the great fermen- 
tation they are ufually in. In this time they change 
from being white to a dark red or brown colour, 
kv ithout this fermentation, they fay the nuts will not 
keep ; but will fprout, if they are in a damp place, 
or Ihrivel and dry too much, if they are expofed to 
heat. 
After the nuts haye been thus fermented, they fhould 
be taken out of the veffels and fpread on coarfe cloths, 
where they may be expofed to the fun and wind ; but 
at night, or in rainy weather, they muft be taken 
under fheltef, otherwife the damp will fpoil them. 
If the weather proves fair, three days time will be 
long enough to dry them, provided they are carefully 
turned from time to time, that they may dry equally 
on every fide. When they are perfectly dry, they 
may be put up in boxes or facks, and preferred in a 
dry place until they are fhipped off, or otherwife dif- 
pofed of. The frefher thefe nuts are, the more oil 
is contained in them ; fo that the older they are, the 
lefs they are efteemed. 
Thefe trees do not produce their fruit on the young 
branches, or at their extremities, as moft other tree's 
do ; but from the trunk, and the larger branches, 
come out the buds for flowers and fruit. While the 
trees are young, they do not produce their fruit in 
great plenty ; for before the trees are eight years old, 
they reckon it a good crop to have twenty-eight or 
thirty pods on each tree at one gathering, efpecially 
that at Midfummer ; which is always a much worfe 
crop than the Chriftmas feafon, which is occaftoned 
by the much greater drought of the fpring; for the 
autumns being the rainy feafons, the Chocolate-trees 
produce a much greater quantity of fruit. When 
the trees are full grown and vigorous, they will fome- 
times produce two hundred, or two hundred and 
forty pods at one feafon ; which will make ten or 
twelve pounds of Chocolate, when dried ; fo that it 
is a very profitable commodity, and can be managed 
with very little charge, when compared with fugar. 
I have been credibly informed by a perfon of great 
worth and integrity, who refided fome years in 
America, that he has leen as much Chocolate gathered 
from one tree in a year, as hath been worth thirty 
fhillings fterling on the fpot : fo that the trouble of 
gathering and preparing for the market, being much 
lefs than for many other commodities which are ma- 
nufadtured in the Britifh colonies, it is furprinng it 
fhould be negledted ; efpecially as it yields fo large a 
fhare of fuftenance to the wealthier inhabitants of 
thofe colonies, that they cannot live comfortably 
without it, and purchafo it from the French and 
Spaniards at a conflderable price ; which in time mull 
greatly imporerifh the colonies. 
The 
