Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-01-04

four hundred feet above sea level AT
the river and several thousand feet I'm
the mountains This land rs especially
adapted 10 the cultivation Of cacao.
cane, cotton corn plantplns and rub.
Der, while In the mountains wheat
irish potatoes and an Kinds Of grain
grow In abundance. Fish OF various
Kinds abound In the river and the for
est furnishes an abundance OF game.
A PARADISE FOR CoLONISTS
The whole tract is covered now with
a thick growth Of timber much OF which
VIII make good saw timber and some
such az the cedar mahogany ebony,
llgnum vitae. and rose wood VIII do
TOT export at good prices The rubber
tree grows az present and In paying
quantities, but as the natural forests
are being swept away, the cultivated
tree viii gradually receive attention.
There Is much public land however,
IN Colombia just as good az the above
mentioned tracts that can be obtained
much cheaper. In fact the settler may
have double the land he can cultivate
after ten years Of resldenuce, by sim
ply paying for the expense OF surveying
ana making out the deeds. And this
land IL as good as any In the world for
cacao on coffee according to the att
tude above sea level.
Most people know that coffee grows
on a small tree or bush. that two kerr
nes form one berry, which Is covered
with Il soft pulp enclosed IN a rough
skin, and that The berry Is dark red or
nearly black when ripe, but few. how
ever, known how cacao grows or how
II Is prepared FOR market Cacao IN
the name of he bean or kernel from
which chocolate Is made II grows on
a tree about the size OF an apple tree
with leaf somewhat larger and thick
err and yields a continuous crop from
september 10 May When Young the
plant is very tender and needs 10 be
protected from the sun For this pur-
pose the plantain is ususany set out
tirst or in some parts the "Madre de
Cacao, mother Of cacao, q quick grow
ing tree, ls used Instead of the plan.
tain, The tree begins TO bear at four
Yeas old, bears a fun crop at eight
on ten years, and continues bearing FOR
thirty or forty years. The writer is
Informed that there are trees in
Colombia planted by the Spanlards over
hundred years ago that are gtlll
yielding fruit Of a good quality
The Cacao Ne crr-H. %, nod one.
hair inch thick with from twenty 70
forty berries I'm caCu 10 Inc pod "
round and tapers from the middle to
both ends. Some Of them are ten Inches
long and eight inches IN circumference
at the largest place. But the average
is nbout six inches long. They grow
any place on the tree from two inches
arcve ground on the trunk within
foot OF the top. but most OF the frult
hangs from the larger limbs Ripe
pods, others partially grown and bios
SONS VIII all be on the tree az once,
hence the crop IL continuous.
After the pods are gathered they are
broken open with three light cuts from
"a mathete. one 1T either end cross wise.
and the third lengthwise In the CEN
ter. The berries are taken out picked
apart and put IN box % fcrment Az
ter twenty-four hour fermentation
they are spread on platforms TO dry the
drying process taking from three 10
four days The dried berry Is then
shipped TO market whore II Is made
into Chocolate,
Mr. Mason informs me, and his long
experience makes him authority that
ten thousand trees viii, on an average,
year IN and year out, Yield a net IN
come Of two thusand dollars gold, This
Is conservative figure. His orchard
hos done better plnce II was i've gears
old
our next postofIlce address is Quito,
Ecuador then Lima Peru.
BENZ. CLUFF JR,
Palagua, Colombia, Oct, 30, 1901.
Alligator