The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-18
PRICE OF THE COCHINEAL.

1t VIII Make Mexico's Old Industry Pay
Agan-Raising the Insects-Present
Way Seems to be the Same That the
Natives Have Followed Since Time
notwithstanding Field for En-
terprising Men.
Until not so very long ago. coch.neal,
a dried insect which furnishes the most
brilliant red color known, occupied a
very prominent position in the world 8
commerce. The market quotations of
this article were watched with as much
If not more interest than these of coffee
are to-day. Immense sums of money
were invested, both in the production of
cochineal and in its marketing and
transportation. While Spain was the
ruler Of the western world cochineal was
one Of the principal sources of revenue
for that nation, and her government as
well as her merchants were guarding
with jealous care the monopoly they en-
joyed in this much sought after dye
stuff
The center of the state of Oaxaca,
with its many high p'ateaus and Valleys
seems to be the native home of the tiny
insect which produces the cochineal of
commerce, and probably has been the
chief seat of the cochineal industry for
many centuries, as cochineal was extern
sively used for generations before the
discovery of America by modern civili-
Zation. 1t Is well known that Montezu-
ma and other Aztec rulers before him
sent merchants to Oaxaca to procure
the priced color with which to adorn
works of art and even Of common use
No doubt the civilization known to have
undoubtedly existed in the western hem
isphere long before the advent of Euro
pean conqrerors made extensive use OF
the product of the Oaxaca valleys.
1t is a matter of record that during
the last half century over ninety mill
lion dollars was paid out In Oaxaca to
the cochlneal producers, which proba-
bly, does not represent mors than one
fifth Of the price paid by the actual con-
sumers The Spanish government alone
exacted tax of about SIZE pound,
and the cost of transportation, which
must have been very great, and the
commissions amounted to enough more
to make cochineal bring FIVE dollars a
pound in the wholesale market of Eu-
rope. But since the middle of the pres
ent century a dangerous competitor for
the Oaxaca insect has been discovered in
coal tar from which science Is produce
ing the brilliant colors, known as ami
line, az an extremely low cost. If it
were not for the fact that there are GER
tain classes of goods which cannot be
dyed except with the aid Of cochineal,
the industry would have been killed en-
tirely. While the producer formerly
would refuse less than one dollar a
pound, the price went down as low as
fifteen cents Quite recently, however,
the demand for cochineal has increased,
and the price has gone up to fifty and
even sixty cents a pound, at which rate
the cochineal industry Is a paying one.
In consequence, the interest In the in
sect has been revived in Oaxaca, and
many new plantations for it's cultiva-
ton have been laid out in the valley of |
Oaxaca.
The cochineal insect, which is the fe-
male of a species of wood louise, feeds !
upon a plant belonging to the great cac-
II fmily commonly called the "ncpal'
This plant grows from leaf to leaf the |
leaves being oblong in shape, rather |
round and heavy at the upper end. with |
but few spines on the edges If left |
alone the plant adds new leaves from |
year to year. and will reach a height Of /
from ten to twelve feet The cultiva- |
tors of the plant use the new leaves, af- |
ter they have grown to be about four |
inches broad in the largest diameter as |
sprouts for replanting and making fields |
for the cultivation of the insect The
Is done in shallow trenches, |
about two or three inches deep dug |
about two and a half feet apart The
sprouts are set at distance of about |
eighteen inches from each other, and |
take root very rapidly after
having been set out, and grow new |
leaves. Within a years time they are
'eady 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
,ut in October or after the rainy season
$ over, as heavy rain would wash the
Insects off the plants and cause irrepar-
lbe damage, because the insects would
De either total loss by drowning or be-
,ome so weakened by the rain that they
'ould not return to the plant. The in
ects are planted on the leaves in the
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