, 1888-10-03
COFFEE AND COCOA.
THE PEOPLE, CUSTOMS AND PRO-
DUCTS OF GUATEMALA

n Cofee Plantation-Bad Indians and
Their ways-The Art of Lying-Pio-
turesque Dress.
The part of Guatemala we are now in Is
called the Costa Cuca " and from San
Sebastian to San Felipe, ten miles away
and near the mountains, the road passes
through a succession of coffee plantations,
To one not familiar with it. it would ap
pear to be a bright. fresh leaved tree of a
rather rich and glossy green. but with its
limbs covered with a parasitical green
growth resembling small acorns, which
illusion is dispelled when the regular
rows of trees are seen and the careful cul
tlvation of the ground noted. While
great care must be taken of the coffee
tree. 1t is not a circumstance to that re.
quired by the cacao plant, which much
resembles it Cacao. or in English cocoa.
the source of chocolate. Is more abun
dainty grown in Ecuador than in any
other portion of this hemisphere, and the
duayaquil cocoa of IN commands
a price in Guatemala city of S1S per
"carga, or sixty pounds. so it may be
seen that it is n valuable crop The cocoa
of Guatemala is a much finer variety and
sells at S35 per carga. right here in the
country. but the amount raised is not
sufficient for home consumption. and but
little of it finds it's way into the outside
world.
The plant has so many natural enemies
that many fnqueros are deferred from at
tempting it's cultivation Tho tr.a is
planted from the seeds which are no
sooner put in the ground than n large ant
searches for them ana ruins many; when
the tree appears and Is about three feet
tall. deer. attracted by the richness of the
leaf. risk their lives for Al feed of it: when
these dangers are past and the fruit an
pears. squirrels come 10 eat it in larGn
numbers and any decent sized ~cncnotal
must have two huntsmen to kill SQUIRRELS
Thus IL may nc seen THAT chocolate IL. ,
universal fEvuiite luriun this ttmc tbr
ground must be a. we'll wceded and
cleaned as a Chinaman 5 Kitchen rarden
And in addition to this each cocoa tree
requires n madre or mother, which ia a
shade tree planted for its own particular
use With such great care necessary il
is not strange that many prefer coffee
planting
ANOTHER VIEW OF 1T
And il occ,,rs IN NJ hor
SHINING MoiiIord,s mr. Monniar,s oboa 81
eyer o{vo a tbornb, ~
immense Labor of he rrnd'.tinn' ~ ~, ~. ~
Other lond /, bo. rs ndrmntl ~
while II cnrTa. trea. t,,.%l -, y
rrodn to ,yn,t ess,n,s"r 60, "r u uoTu
years tho COCO. r,. .a,d - 80
ubundontlv for ,erart F,a ~
even moro som. ,nc,n,,L ,ma
frontier of San SoIvoGnr am la LIZ liz
the old.s, Iudions In tba ri.,, % ~ ISs
that tbnv Y,r. aourisL;na 49, 80
when they wer, cbiIdrer s,d tLa tnaas.
l,.ar n. v.l ,nd,v 49, 400 ~.
estates mean san Feline were nearly all
planted al the same time, every available
ETnrn Nn 1TIIIgaaI ra1tana0aA-fI- I'll. 1
failed nj the same time, and San Felipe,
from beng II thriving busy town. became
but a place to live III. and failed to see
lIs attractions even IN that respect When
the coffee trees failed many inqueros
planted sugar cane This requires, from
planting to maturity only nine months,
but is not so profitable as coffee
Inc cocoa fruit as 1t appears on the
tree Is a pear shaped green mass about
nine inches long, and in circumference
not 50 large as an average pineapple. The
INSIDE OF ttls PUPPY sheath Is ivide into
cells. about twenty each containing one
cocoa perry Children and women are
employed TO prepare 1t for market. and It
Is not a sight which would induce one to
De anxious to drink the cocoa he has seen
cleaned Each berry is surrounded in it's
cen oy a sweet, pasty brown and greasy
substance which the Indians like, SO each
berry goes to an Indians mouth. where
the sweet coating is sucked off and
chewed' but this in reality does not af
Iect the berry. because under the brown
paste there is a parchmentlike shell which
Is imperyious to the Indians saliva. and
comes OIL only In the roasting. leaving the
inside meat pure.
METH ABOUT BAD 1NDIASs
A marked dif~Feronco is ha.
the trna Iudian ~ 10 70 apRalene oe1"een
the one vvho hos boS ~ iin town unu
whites and lod;nos IT, eaunNn Mten
resnectfuI and noI;+o IA bn ~ 70 aimayS
He neSor ~ 70 d uaIural
sneak without ramovir% IT. a. 1uIo
inc low and he nevor 1otin,a $500, Wv
cusinp himself until bo NOV go III
Inter ia n%snaiIv disrasna nas Te.urh 'ho
insolent disnositionN a. nhu vi Nn
nndue advaptona ~ bia ~ any Every
and has tn he tsngn, bv tba . Ietncy
of a cInh The ordincrn eaous use
- H1AI M Hn