1568 
Planting and Culture. 
"The Guatemalan Indians plant the chayote in early 
spring or even in winter (January and February In Santa 
Maria, March at Coban) and harvest a crop the follow- 
ing October to December. The vines are not perennial, 
but die down every winter, usually about the month of 
January. It is evident that this takes place whether 
they are subjected to frost or not; though it is equally 
evident that different plants show different times of 
maturity and death of the tops. At Santa Maria, in the 
month of February, most of the chayote arbors were 
covered with dead leaves, and new green sprouts were 
just pushing up from the roots; at the same time, how- 
ever, there were a few vines which were in growth and 
were bearing fruits. Whether or not this difference is 
due to variation of the time of sowing cannot be ascer- 
tained at present. 
"In this connection,' there is a custom at Santa 
Maria which is worthy of passing notice. Upon the ad- 
vent of winter, and the consquent possibility of frost 
which might kill the chayote vines, the Indians place 
upon the top of the arbor a dish which has been dipped 
in lime, the theory being that the lime will give off 
heat and protect the vines from cold. 
"Little preparation is made for planting. A hole 
8 or 10 inches deep is prepared to' receive the chayote 
which should already have commenced to sprout , and the 
fruit is then laid upon its side in the hole and 
covered with 4 or 5 inches of soil. In heavy soil It 
must not be planted so deeply, but in the friable vol- 
canic loam of Santa Maria the young sprout seems able 
to make its way to the surface through 7 or 8 Inches 
of soil without difficulty. 
"After planting, It is usually necessary to protect 
the seed from hogs; hence a circular barrier about 18 
inches in diameter is made of small sticks, set into 
the ground 7 or 8 inches, and placed so close to one 
another that a hand cannot be slipped between them. 
This barrier is usually 4 or 5 feet high. When the first 
shoot makes its appearance, several small twigs are 
stuck into the ground close beside it, for It to climb 
upon. When It reaches the tops of these twigs and the 
height of the circular barrier it is ready to spread 
out upon the 'tapezca' or arbor. 
"For convenience in gathering the fruit, chayote 
arbors are usually arranged in the following manner: 
Uprights, 4 to 6 feet in height, are set in the ground 
