192 
The  Cultivation  of  Coca. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
l      April,  1886. 
layer  of  banana-leaves  or  other  decaying  vegetable  matter.  Germina- 
tion requires  from  eight  to  twelve  days  longer,  but  all  the  plants  are 
saved.  In  either  case  a  covering  of  brush  or  straw  must  be  placed 
overy  the  nursery,  at  first  only  three  or  four  inches  above  the  surface, 
and  elevated  to  six  or  seven  inches  as  the  plants  grow.  Usually  this 
elevation  is  repeated  once  more. 
All  this  taking  place  during  the  .  rainy  season,  the  plants  have 
reached  a  good  size  before  the  advent  of  the  dry  weather,  and  so  do 
not  call  for  any  artificial  water-supply.  Advantage  is  taken  of  the 
ensuing  dry  season  to  clear  the  land  and  prepare  the  ground  for  the 
new  cocal.  On  the  manner  in  which  this  is  done  depends  much  of 
the  future  well-being  of  the  plants.  The  ground  should  be  thoroughly 
powdered  to  the  depth  of  two,  and,  if  possible,  three  feet,  all  roots 
and  large  stones  being  removed.  On  these  steep  slopes  it  is  necessary 
to  terrace,  the  terraces  being  supported  by  stone  walls,  the  stones  laid 
dry.  The  width  of  the  terraces,  according  to  the  slope,  varies  from 
several  feet,  with  a  number  of  rows  of  plants,  to  much  less  than  the 
height  of  the  wall,  only  a  single  row  of  plants  being  admissible.  It 
is  here  generally  believed  that  shade  tends  to  the  production  of  the 
best  quality  of  leaves;  so  the  cocales  are  planted  thickly  with  a  small 
broad-topped  leguminous  tree  related  to  the  St.  John's  bread,  but 
whose  name  I  cannot  at  this  moment  recall.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
this  is  a  mistake.  I  have  made  repeated  comparative  assays  of  shade- 
grown  and  sun-grown  leaves  from  adjoining  plants,  and  invariably 
found  the  latter  much  richer  in  total  alkaloids.  I  judge  the  custom 
to  have  arisen  from  two  considerations.  There  is,  as  I  have  stated,  a 
period  of  two  or  three  months  when  the  plants  receive  no  rain,  and 
then  these  trees  afford  a  protection  from  the  fierce  heat.  Secondly, 
shade  conduces  to  the  production  of  a  large,  smooth,  beautiful  leaf,  of 
elegant  color,  and  thus  adds  to  the  appearance  of  the  product.  The 
terraces  being  thus  prepared,  on  the  advent  of  the  permanent  rainy 
season  the  plants,  now  from  eight  to  twelve  inches  high,  are  trans- 
planted, being  set  from  one-half  to  six  inches  apart,  according  to  the 
ideas  of  the  haciendero.  From  this  time  until  the  first  leaves  are 
picked  the  greatest  care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the  soil  thoroughly 
stirred  and  free  from  weeds.  The  plants  having  been  transferred  in 
October  or  November  of  one  year,  the  first  picking  is  made  in  March 
or  April  of  the  second  following  year,  one  year  and  a  half  from  the 
time  of  transplanting,  or  two  and  one-half  from  the  seeds.    In  case 
