The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-05-02
COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE.
The Plantations Along the Venezuelan
Coast The Chocolate Industry.

NOIAb no NhOcbldIe IhuuStfys
IAspinwan OR Inter Ocean
The country along the Spanish main,
from Trinidad to the isthmus, is miH-
ture of Florida and Switzerland, where
Cn5 can find within the radius of a
single days journey any climate or
enc to suit his taste, from tropical
Jungle, swarming With tigers and ALI
gators to mountain creSt5 crowned With
eternal snow. Lopn in the southwes-
tern part Of \Clezucla and cast
crn Colombia The Andes noun
tans and twin range, the Cor
dilleras, forming double spinal column
Tor the continent, split and scatter, and
finally jump into the sen. Between
these mountains, along the cast, are
narrow valleys Of the most lpxur Gus
tropical verdure and the richest soil,
which yield three haryeStS annually and
are denSely opulated. Coffee sugar
and chocolate are the staples of tho
lower region, called "terre callente' (hot
earth); corn, beans and other temper
ate zone products are raised on the
mountain side, and higher up, on the
plains, 1000 and 1000 feet above the
sea, are thousands Of gods and cattle.
The coffee plantations extend from
the coast far up into the mountains
and are very prolific. The people here
claim to raise the best co4ee in the
world, and it is singular fact, as
serted by the exporters, that only the
poorest grade go IS to the | mite States,
while all of the better quality is sent to
France and German Just why this
is so no one explains, further than re,
peating the re mark so often made that
the Americans do not like a good coffee.
The cocoa plant is an odd sort of af-
fair. 1t has great wax-like leaves, an |
resembles small magnolia tree. Upon
its trunk and larger limbs there appears
semi-annually a large number OF wart-
like protulerances, about as large as
the smallest pineapple. They are ugly
looking para ties, but, like r.any other
Ugly things have value AMI uscfulnes,
AT first they are green, but when they
Eet rcd the native lex them Off crust
lhem in rude machine, and take from
each handful of SIC about the Sizt
and shape of a lima bean. This is The
COCOA.
When the beans are thoroughly dric
in the sun they are Slipped to the mar
ket in gunny sacks. where the chocolat,
manufacturer gets hold of them H,
grinds them into ne pow lcr Of Il gra,
color, that looks like graham tiOur
mixes it with the pure uicc o. the sugal
cane, callei ''papilol, and hayorS tht
mixture with the Juice Of the vanilla
bean. After being boiled for certain
length of time this is poured into mold
and allowed to h ,rdcn, when it Lccone
the chocolate Of commerce.
The Caracas hos olate as all the pro
duct of Venezuela is termed, is con
sidered the best in the world 1t cost
IS cents Il pound at the factories there
but can be purchase for ID or 80 cent
pound in New ork The best coco.
beans arc 20 cents a o n here, but til
Yankee manufacturer has way Of in
creaSing their weight and reducing t!ei
value by adulterdt on. | ipe clay
cheap an heavy, and it is supposed t
be harmless. It weighs about five ii NJ
as much as cocoa, am. us the profit i
lager leer is in the foam, so is the prof
in chocolate in the pipe clay, or what
ever substance it may lie mixed with.