New-York tribune., 1880-03-07
TIE cAC4o INDUSrRr IN BRAZIL.

From BTdzd Amayon( and me- fo1s bV Hcr'c' n sHrh
The cacao iudustr, j. almost entirely confined TO
the lOTlauG. we lavc seen. Ia selecting ms
ground Tor an orchard, TIC planter must tax" care
tlat Il i not so low as br subject to long Hoods
IN general. land where the great uTuCuTY palm
grows NAV be used without fear. Such high boT-
ders are generally found onl, on ono side oi chan
uei-tbe shore hence, IN passing along the
rvcr often cacaO orchards on one hand.
while on the other there may be low, swampr Tor
est OF open meadow. The cutting Tor plantail"n
is done at the end Of the TuUX season, aud the logs
are lett 10 dry u the sun for tw" OF three months
until they can b burned. Beyond tals TIE ground
undoIgocs very lutle preparation; thc seeds are
placed several together. in shallow holes, arranged
i'm rows al pretty regular intervals Of about forty
feet this worl. Is done the end Of the rain,
son succeeding o., preparation of ground. He Icsi
Is mere bdgai iic. Ou planter BE- po lis lIuL- We
chard free from secoud growth. uuih 'i'
tree, can protect the ground by tier own shade.
which viii be III three OF tom year,. lf\
the fIlh year they begin To bear proit iIc'N.
and tncI tops have formed a tack Io'l, prri,'tf
uupcrviou, to iAr sun. IN OuT WaLd,I,uC- ahoGt
tie lowlaud We often pass through thcsr cacod'>.
Thev nave a rich be .uty # jheT Owu-thc dense
foliage She twilight shade hencath, ana i'r diIh
stems fOur OF iye together WIN tAe lrni CROWNS
not among the leaves. bet directly ir.ia the iiuuk
aud man Drduche-, att.cLco only hl short stem
The gI0uud Is quite clear. aud f.cr ~ ..a il-'' j.
brush and in the summer when the fruit ie patI-
ered is for the most pan dry. The harvest months
are July and August, when The glthcreIs 20 every
d.y to pick the Hpe fruit FROM each tree and bring
II III baskets 10 the house. IIcie ihc oval iiph'd
outer shell is cut open. aud tue seeds are wasted
I from tie Nnltc pup; tutH tLtt att Sil'"n "N'I
mats and placed on Tai-cd statines To- dlY 4A 'ie
sun care being taken 20 turn them NJ ui,rv1'-.
Most Of the seed 10 exported n TINS iorL lHie IS
roasted, pounded. and made mt" cakes with melted
sugar Tor the delicious chocolate of toe country.
Unfortunately, ON the Amazons TIE sun IS very
uncertain drynC agent; frequently there are heavy
showers, and " skY Is ciouic1 Tor days ioRcthc.
50 il Often happens that the iMPeriectlN prepared
scedt Gets musty AID half rotten before IT reaches
lie market Much Of the Para cacao, therefor.
does not rate very mgh il the market. All this
might be avoided by the introduction OF simple
dryiug-machlnc, such as Is used al RIO Tor co1't.
Stopping at the taEendas We frequently get re-
frcsbinu drink made from the white pup which
surrounds the cacaO seeds. EhteIpHSing planters
prepare from this pulp delicious amber lrly'
which, # il were placed in the market, would he
much more popular than guava-iely. Even the
shells are valuable they dried and burned, and
from the ash Is prepared very strong brown soap
a necessity to every AmaZOnian washcrwoman.
! confess that am pTcudlced IN favor OF cacao
cannot understand why the industry has been 50
nenlccted Ii is SAID that the orchards Of Colombia
and Venezuela are being abandoned, because they
are unprotable Very likely the land there has be-
come too valuable; the great objection to cacao-
planting IS. that 1t takes up 80 much ground but
in the thnlysetiled Amaz ms valley TINS Is no OBJ
stacle Land has hardly more than nominal price
fine Young orchards can be pnrchased al inc fae Oi
Is or 20 cents per tree, the ground gong Tor nOih-
ing And the great virtue OF TINS Industry IS.
that il requires only few hards, ana those dullng
season Of the year when the ordinary forest Cccn-
nations do not draw them away In n country
Wnere Labor IS so scarce, such al advantage Is al
most incacuable. BY combining this with some
other branch OF agriculture, as sugar oI c"'toh
planting the farmers could avoid loss OF time during
The other months. The small IOWlahd llopIletofs
often have herds OF cattle on the meadows near
their orchards.
Cacao planting is considered on" Of the most proht-
able branches Of agriculture on the AmazOns II Is
calruatcd that each labOrcr can gather and prepare
500 worth ofthc seed and that during two months
q! the year But attelY tho plantations have bccn
neglected many trees have been killed by long
floods and during some years tho crops nave lailcd
. nlmcSt entirely the rubber trade has ruined TINS.
~ hos alu e. very
AT present abUut 1000. 900 pounds OF cacao are
exported every year; nearly all OF tlls goes 10
France little 10 England; last year none at all
was sent TO tho United states. he market value
i'm Para has steadily risen, from 72 cents per pound
IN 1874 TO 1919 cents by present quotations
For nv part, / cannot see why Chocolate ~ not
uauuf8ciuTed III connection With largo orchards.
Al prr,en cacaO goes 10 France or England, ana Is
there made into chocolate or COCO" Thence some
az in is sent 10 the United States, reachlng The
American consumer after paying three or iour
Jnties and the profits of q dozen merchants, be-
sdes those of the Inanufac urers. The product pre-
nored from fresh seed, and packed IN TIN, would be
mnch netter In every respect than that which we
oet at home and probably the export duty at fara
wonld Le no more than for the seed.
As IL IT, we hardly know the taste or the drink,
and we do not appreciate 1t at all. One who Is ac
cnstomed 10 a generous bowl of thick chocolate
eveTv day can excuse the enthusiasm that called 1t
The0brotna "Nectar of the gods" Inns IL not "a
stjmnlant like coffee and tea; 1t Is mlld, nourish-
inc food in very condensed form. have proved
Inv my own experience that 1t may DE USED 10 ad-
vantage as a substitute for meat frend, VINO mas
often made long explorations In the forest told me
that be always carried cnOcoiate as tno hoS' ooh-
paot and useful food that he could nnd'