194 
The  Cultivation  oj  Coca. 
{Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 
X      April,  1886. 
mulching  at  the  end  of  the  wet  season  with  a  few  inches  of  banana- 
leaves  or  other  refuse,  with  excellent  effect  upon  the  plants  during 
the  succeeding  dry  season. 
This  plant  is  subject  to  only  two  diseases  of  any  importance.  The 
first  is  taja,  which  I  suppose  to  be  the  result  of  a  fungus  which  attacks 
the  undeveloped  leaves  and  tender  twigs.  It  is  said  by  some  to  be 
caused  by  careless  picking,. in  which  the  twigs  are  broken.  By  others 
it  is  said  to  result  from  the  planting  of  seeds  taken  from  young 
plants.  The  only  remedy  is  to  remove  and  burn  the  diseased  por- 
tions. The  second  disease,  if  such  it  can  be  called,  is  the  ravages  of 
a  caterpillar  called  "  ulo,"  which  makes  its  appearance  in  December, 
and  destroys  the  crop  so  quickly  that  it  admits  of  no  remedy. 
The  method  of  picking  and  drying  the  coca  has  been  so  often  and 
so  well  described  of  late  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  upon  it. 
Coca-picking  is  a  profession  to  which  the  children  are  trained  from  a 
tender  age.  The  leaves  are  picked  singly,  both  hands  being  em- 
ployed with  a  rapid  alternating  motion,  which  strips  a  twig  in  an 
instant.  Great  care  is  taken  to  avoid  breaking  the  twigs,  and  the 
young  leaves  are  not  picked.  Little  sacks  are  tied  about  the  waist, 
or  the  women's  aprons  are  pinned  or  sewn  into  the  required  form. 
They  are  then  transferred  to  larger  sacks,  which  must  be  filled  and 
emptied  with  great  promptness,  or  the  leaves  will  become  heated  and 
turn  black. 
The  price  here  paid  for  picking  is  a  Bolivian  dollar,  equal  to 
about  seventy-one  cents  United  States  currency,  for  each  thirty 
pounds,  which,  when  dry,  will  weigh  about  twelve  pounds. 
The  leaves  are  exposed  to  a  hot  sun  upon  a  pavement  of  nicely- 
fitted  flat  stones,  and  stirred  occasionally  until  dry.  Under  the  most 
favorable  conditions  the  drying  is  accomplished  in  about  three  hours. 
About  the  coca  place  are  built  the  storage  and  packing-sheds.  These 
are  furnished  with  very  broad  doors,  and  men  are  in  constant  attend- 
ance to  sweep  the  coca  with  brush-brooms  through  these  broad  portals 
at  the  slightest  indication  of  rain.  A  very  few  drops  of  rain  are 
sufficient  to  decolorize  and  ruin  the  sale  of  the  coca,  though  it  is  my 
impression  that  such  decolorization,  if  produced  by  but  little  rain, 
is  no  indication  of  loss  of  cocaine.  Daring  the  first  few  days  that 
the  dry  coca  lies  within  the  storage-sheds  it  undergoes  a  slight  sweat- 
ing process. 
When  I  come  now  to  speak  of  the  best  methods  of  packing  the 
