The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-02-07

| three inches deep, dug about two and a
half feet apart. The sprouts are set at
a distance of about eighteen inches
from each other, and generally take
root very rapidly after having been
set out, and grow new leaves. Within
years time they are ready to receive
the insect.
AS a rule there are men who make a
business of supplying planters with the
seed or mother insects, which are set
out in October or after the rainy season
is over, as heavy rain would wash the
insects off the plants and cause irrep-
arabic damage, because the Insects
would be either a total loss by drown
ing or become so weakened by the rain
that they could not return to the plant.
The insects are planted on the leaves
in the following manner. About TWEEN
ty or thirty are placed in a small tube,
closed at one end, about two inches
long, and half an inch in diameter,
made of the fibre of a species of the
maguey plant. The tube is closed with
moss, after having been loaded, and
fastened to a leaf by running spine
through it and bending it onto the leaf.
From two to six of these tubes are
fastened to each leaf, according to the
size of the latter and the entire plant
is then covered with a mat. Within
few days after tiny white specks, bare
ly visible to the naked eye, except that
of the trained Indian, begin to appear
on the leaves, covering them after a
while with larger spots, looking like
mildew. If one of them is touched it
x,rin hut, stoit
After the leaves appear to be covered
the little baskets are removed. They
still contain the mother insects most
of them dead. Those that are still alive
are carefully preserved for future use.
The dead ones have been partly eaten
by their offspring, but what remains of
them produces the finest quality of
cochineal, and it is generally rated at
several cents more pound, the color
produced by them being of special rich
ness. The mat covering is removed
from the plant as soon as the leaves
appear covered with healthy colonies or
groups Of the insects, but receive an
other protection from the sun in the
shape of brushwood and dry stalks,
which permit the free circulation OF the
air. The insects keep growing in size
until the entire nopal plant Is almost
completely covered with what appears
at small distance like a white mould.
This appearance is due to the covering
of a very fine fuzz possessed by each
insect and probably provided by nature
as protection against the weather.
When full grown the insects are about
five-siXteenths of an ich long and three
sixteenths of an inch thick. How the
males arrive at the state of maturity
/ have not been able to find out for my
self, and careful inquiry has failed to
enlighten me on the subject They
have wings and are about the size of
small gnat. When the insects on the
nopal are ripe they are scraped off
from the leaves into dishes, baskets or
onto mats. They are then taken to a
place, where they are usual
ly put into sacks, dipped into boiling
water for a few seconds and then |
spread out on mats to dry in the sun. |
process, producing the best re- |
suits, but rarely employed on account |
Of the expense attached to it, is to |
place the insects upon trays in an oven |
the heat of which is carefully regulat- |
ed, and which requires constant at |
tention, as the trays have to be turned |
to secure a uniform drying. |
After the insects have been dried by
either process they are subjected to a |
rolling process by hand in order to re- /
move the fuzzy covering, then sifted
and assorted to be ready for the mar
Set, the larger ones bringing the best
price. Cochineal ready for use looks
very much like shrunken buclwheat
grain, which it resembles both in size
and shape. The color is iron gray, with
pinkish shade, and the whole product
resembles far more a metallic sub
stance than any product of insect life.
If the price of cochineal keeps on the
present level the old industry will likely
De revived, and perhaps it will receive
The attention of enterprising men who
will discover means to simplify the
and modernze it wherever
possible. The present way seems to be
he same that has been followed by the
native since time immemorial-From
The Mexico Two Republics.