Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-06-02
COFFEE AND COCOA.
rHe esoPLs, CUSTOMS AND PRO-
DUCTS or GUATEMALA.

rHe rsoPLE, CUSTOMS AND PRO-
DUCTS or GUATEMALA.
why Cocos Trees Need More Care Thsn
. Ccfrse Plsnsssios--Bsa Indisns s.A
Their ways-Ths Art Of Iysns-Pic-
turessue Dress.
The part Of Guatemala We are now in In
called the COSTA Cuca." and from San
Sebastian TO eAn Felipe, ten miles away
and near the mountains. the road passes
through succession Of coffee plantations,
To one not familiar With Il. II would ap-
pear TO b bright. fresh leaved tree Of .
rather rioh and glossy green. but With its
limbs covered With . parasiticA green
growth resembling small acorns, which
Illusion 10 dispelied when the regular
rows Of trees Are seen and the careful cul-
tivation Of the ground noted. While
great care must b taken Of the coffee
tree. 10 10 NOT circumstance TO that re-
quirsd BY the cacao plant, which much
resembles II. Cacao. or In English COCOA.
the source Of chocolate. In more abun-
dantly grown In Ecuador than In any
other portion Of this hemisphsrs. and the
Guaysquil COCOA OF commerce commands
o0ovCAAAsAA9
Cargo" or sixty pounds. % II may BE-
seen that II II valuable crop. The cocoa
Of Guatemala is . much finer variety and
cells At 4S5 per carga. right here In the
country. but the amount raised 10 not
sufficient for homo consumption, and but
little Of II finds its way into the outside
world. -t-., - ta-
The plant has % many natural enemies
that many fnqueros are deferred from ct.
tempting its cultivation. The tree IL
planted from the seeds, which are no
sooner put In the ground than large ant
searches for them and ruins many; whom
the tree appears and IL about three feet
tall, deer, attracted by the richness Of the
leaf. risk their lives for feed Of it; when
these dangers arc past and the fruit ap-
pears. squirrels come to eat It In large
numbers and any decent sized cacaotal
must have two huntsmen to kill squirrels.
Thus It may be seen that chocolate Ia
universal favorite. During this time the
ground must be a. we'll wesded and
cleaned a. Q Chinaman's kitchen garden.
And In addition to this each cocoa tree
requires madrs or mother, which is .
shade tree planted for It's own particular
usA With such great care necessary, It
is not strange that many prefer coffee
planting.
ANOTHER VIEW OF 1T.
And IL occurs to me, how few who sN
slipping Maillards or Members chocolate
ever give thought or ever know Of the
immense labor OF Its productionl On the
other hand II has Its advantages, for
while coffee tree In fairly on the down
grade to worthlessness after bearing eight
years, the cocoa tree 10 said TO bear
sbundantly for seventy-hve years, and
even more. Some cacaotals near the
frontier of San Salvador. are 90 old that
the oldest Indians in the vicinity testify
that they were 6ourishing plantations
when they were children, and the trees
bear ~ well today - ever. Tho coffee
estates near San Felipe were nearly all
planted at the same time. every available
space was utilized. consequently they all
failed Ut the same time, and San Felipe,
from being Q thriving. busy town, became
but place to live in, and I failed to see
its attractions even in that respect. When
the coffee trees failed many fnqueros
planted sugar cane. This requires, from
planting to maturity, only nine months.
but Is not so profitable - coffee.
Tho cocoa fruit as IL appears on the
tree Is pear shaped green mass about
nine inches long, and In circumference
not 30 large - an average pineapple, The
cells, about twenty each containing one
cocoa berry. Children and women are
employed TO prepare 1t for market. and It
is not sight which would induce ono to
be anxious to drink the cocoa he has seen
cleaned. Each berry is surrounded in its
cell by . sweet, pasty brown and greasy
| substance which the Indians like, SO each
berry goes to an Indians mouth, where
the sweet coating Is sucked of and
chewed; but this In reality does not AZ.
feet the berry, because under the brown
| paste there Is psrchmentlike shell which
| Is impervious to the Indians saliva, and
comes of only in the roasting, leaving the
inside meat pure.
soMETuISa ABOUT BAD INDIANS.
A marked difference is apparent between
| the true Indian Of the Indian town and
| the one who has had much contact with
whites and lsdinos. The former Is always
respectful and polite and he is . natural
| gentleman. He never approaches you to
| speak without removing his hat and bow
ing low, and he never retires without ex,
| susing himself until he may return. The
| insolent disposition-eager to take every
undue advantage Of his masters leniency
| and has to be taught by tho generous use
| Of club. The ordinary feelings Of the
human heart are unknown TO him. You
| can govern him, and govern him well, by
simply causing him to fear you.
| The art Of lying Is unknown In the
United States when compared with the
state Of perfection it has reached among
some of these Indian tribes. You may tel
sn individual in your employ to do . Ger
tain thing, but you must accompany hin
70 see that he does it, because II he doel
not feel like doing 1t he will come bach
and lie about Il. Hit one of them with
your fist or kick him ont Of your houne
and he will complain to the nearest al
calde, and will have twenty witnesses I,
swear that they saw you beat the com
plainant over the head with . club unit
he lay insensibls In his own blood. ans
this though they may have been mile
away at the time.
| Many Of the Indians are weavers an,
pottery makers. The cloths they produc
are very pretty bright colored fabrics
beautifully embroidered in cotton or silk
as the wesrer may desire. The shirt o
their costume Is made like . square bag
With hole for the head and holes for tn
arms. and when the skirt IL fastene
around the waist with their pretty belts
the lower part Of the skirt becomes pc,
ucoat. Dress q prettly shaped and we
washed Indian girl In this costume. Civ
her bright turban, and let her balanc
the earthen water jar gracefully on he
head. and you have picture not soon I
hc forgotten; and yet they seem to be ur
aware how picturesque they look.
ntala Cor. New York Times.
l TT n r.