The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-07-03
RIVAS, NICARAGUA
AND ITS LIFE 1.-THE EVENT OF
THE WEEK.
Scenes In Rivas, Nlcsragus-Tiree Mixed
Terms Explained-The Cost of Chocola 20
Primitive Sawmiil Methods-When 1t
Rains.

can enterprise the most important is Rivas-
or Ribas, as 1t was originally christened and
1t still called by the natives
I: lies about forty miles below Grenada,
near the western SHIRE Of Lake Nicaragua,
and is the nearest town Of consequence to the
line OF the canal on the Pacific side Of the
country. To reach 1t you 90 to San Jorge, the
luke port at the point where the western end
OF the canal begins. and where the Americans
have built a pier, which extends far out into
deep water. Rivas is four miles inland, and
the road between is the best that the Ncara.
gran government has constructed since the
cid 'camino real'' of the viceroys. It Is loo
fatt wide, graded and bedded with stone, and
along the middle Of it runs the new tramWay
Line OF Mr.. ]. I. Forrest, formerly from Chi.
csgc- Mr.. FORESTS concessions give him the
right to extend his line to any or all Of the
ntlghborirg towns, as vel! as to Brito, the
iacihc terminus Of the canal. -
There is not much to be said of sleepy old
San Jorge Saint George, except that it Is
god landing place-thanks to American
money. The greater portion Of the village lies
fa.f a mile from the lake. and has remained
s.bs olutely unchanged for 800 years, except
that 1t has grown trifle grayer and stupider,
and IT'S successive generations of inhabitants
Lave gone the way OF all the earth the last
generation being faithful copies OF the first
IL dress, manners, morals, and ignorance.
The Event of the Week.
The Oldest inhabitant of today cannot tel
you when this or that house was built-it
STOOD there from the foundation Of the earth
for al. he knows. He has never ventured be.
yo2d the rim Of hills that bounds the visible
horizon, and could not be made to believe
tha. there is any world worth mentioning out
SIDE of Nicaragua. The one event of the week
III the village is the arrival of the weekly
steamer-always anticipated by numerous
female vendors Of fruit fowls. and carved
:'jicaras," who sit upon the pier among their
wares with bare legs sticking straight cut
Crea: clumsy OK carts, with wheels which are
each the sold section of tree trunk, come
Creaking down to- the wharf to transport mer
3haIdise Of al sorts to its destination. The
road to Rivas is lined on either side with fine
estates, in whose Enclosures fat cattle are
;lazirg. This is the very garden spot Of Nj
:aragua, Ct eXhaustless fertility and the most
delightful! climate ina g.nable.
TRAY cling over any of the highways and BY
Eays Eereabouts yea are Fever out of sight
If ti.e-rooIed and care-tha tched houses, each
:urrourS'e by orange CT coccanut groves,
banana and bread-frui: trees. Coffee, sugar,
and tobacco are eX:eE sive.y raised, besides
corn and Northern vegetables. Cacao is king
however, and many hacieldas devoted ex
:.1Is!ve.y 20 It's culture are found on he bor-
!crs Of Rivas. The proIuc: se!!:s for SO cents
- per pound, but is 80 popular among Spanish
Americans that home consumption prevents
the sale of any portion OF the really large
crop Mast Of it is used In making "tiste"--
mlx.urs of cacao with sugar and corn, tie
latter psrched and grourd. From this
aeal:nfu. ard eXtrem ely refreshing beverage
IS ms &c. which al. classes OF Nlcaraguans use.
Rig:l: here lie: Us settle tie difference between
he meanings Of The worcs cocoa, cacao, and
coca.
Three Mixed Terms Explained.
Cocoa. is the name CT the species Of pain
which produces the cocosnut, frui. too vel.
Known TO reeG descriptions; also the fiber Sc
Largely used ior making mating, hats,
brushes, e:c. Cacao is the frui: Of another
tree Gheobcoma cacac), from which We OBJ
nin ctCco.a.e, and which is universally mis-
famed by manufacturers as cocoa. Coca is
he name given to the South American shrub,
TythroXylon coca, the leaves Of which are
ased by the natives of Peru, Chill and b.
ivia the bette. is in Asia, to a.ley hunger
Ind thirst, ard TO supply s:imulant which
gives energy to endure extraordinary exer-
.ion. From these leaves the we.lknown
lrug, cocaine, IS prepared.
The cacao trees Of Central America rarely
exceed twenty feet in height. The leaves
ire large, cblong and pointed the nuts con-
aimed in .ong, oval-pointed pods. It pro-
tuces two crops a year, beginning to bear
when about seven years old, and continuing
rom forty to fifty years. The trees are
planted fifteen feet apart, and when young
eQuire to be sheltered from the sun, in the
anne manner as is 'prac:ced in coffee PLAN
ations. 2"1E"4 - .'".
At first bananas, or plantains, are used fol-
his purpose, in order that some profit may
ae derived at once from the fruit Of the fast
growing plants, but meanwhile another tree,
tlso of speedy growth. but less quick than
the banana, is set out at intervals. In Mica
ragua it is usually the beautiful tree with the
bright red blossoms, known as the 'madre dc
cocoa"-"mother Of the cocoa"
OF course it requires some capital to start
a1thOnph
in great numbers in the Central American
forests and land may be had almost for the
asking by intelligent foreigners. One has tc
wait longer for the first return in cocoa than
in coffee but the price of the former is much
higher and there is little competition. When
once grove of either is we'll established and
in full bearing the fortunate possessor is
fixed for life, with large, sure, and steady
revenues for a very small annua! outlay o.
money and labor.
The Cost of Chocolate.
One curious fact about chocolate is that II
costs a good deal more where it grows II
you buy the manufactured article than II
New York, duties and all. The reason is be-
cause here you get the genuine unadulteratet
article, while in our markets you get mostly
pipeclay, which. is cheap, heavy, and harm
less. The planter dries his cocoa beans II
the sun, and sells them on the spot in thet
crude state for from so to 80 cents pound
yet you can buy "chocolate"-soI called-il
New York for As cents pound! The Yankee
manufacturer adds pipeclay literally, bu
judiciously giving his customers the utmos
they will stand, and nobody Is the wiser-o
the worse, maybe-for the adulteration
Pipeclay weighs five times as much as cocoa
and as the profit in lager beer is In the foam
and in ginger pop in the fizz, so in manu-
featured chocolate the profit is in the adulter
alton. Native manufacturers grind the bean
to fine powder, which is of a gray color, an
looks much like German flour. With this the
mix the pure juice of the sugar cane, Gale
"papillion," and f1avor the combination wit
the freshly expressed juice of the vanill
bean. After being boiled for certain lengt
of time it is poured into molds and above
to cool. when it becomes the rare, genuin
chocolate of commerce.
Having cnce tasted the thick, delicious chot
olate grown, made, and brewed "a la Centre
Americana" you cease to wonder at tn
early enthusiasm which named tn" plar
Theobroma-"nectar of the gods" It is NJ
a stimulant, like tea or coffee, but answe
Cor both meat and drink, being mild, nou
i ishing food in very condensed form.
Primitive Sawmill Methods.
Approaching Rivas, you notice a lart
rooted space, where some queer performance
are going on. It is the combined sawmi
and carpenter shop ~ tbs district, work
EJ hand in lieu of machii -Ty. great 10
three or four feet in diameter, rests ups
an e.evated trestle. Beneath it is pit, TO-
feet deep, in which stands ruan stripp'
TO the waist, while his fellsE worknt