The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-11-11

ADyl1/NC S1/yD DRNt/S0 CICAO 6kHNJ
Cacao Is the correct word to apply
TO a product which ranks with coffee
and tea as a great and instinctively
selected stimulus In the dietary OF
man. BY using this term. cacao, in
stead Of the English one OF cocoa,
two advantages are gained: First the
word then becomes OF universal appli-
cation, for cacao is the commercial
and domestic term applied throughout
Latln-America. II has been adopted la
Europe since the days OF the earliest
importation from the new world, II Is
the naturalized expression wherever II
Is produced in the East Indies. and
will be understood even I'm Japan, al
though II offers no rivalry there to the
national and native tea; second. a con-
fusion. unfortunately so prevalent
throughout the English-speahng
world. will be avoided.
Cocoa is apt TO be confounded with
coca. the plant Of Peru which the In
dIans use to sustain them In their
weary journeys across the mountains.
and which furnishes the drug (alka-
ioid) called cocaine in medicine; as a
matter OF fact, cocaine and eacao are
botanically quite different. and have
nothing In common. a point that
should be well known. because the
fear that cocaine forms part OF cocoa
Is entirely groundless. Cocoa is sup
posed. also. TO be OF the same fam
lily as the cocoanut. but here, too, the
resemblance goes no further than the
name. for the cocoanut Is a palm and
requires an altogether different soil
for its propagation.
Chocolate. on the other hand. the
chocolate OF hte Aztecs. Is the
original cacao. In the language
or the aboriginal Mexicans It meant
water-that Is. drink-from choco.
which became under the Spanish
tongue eacao. The Aztec name shows
that the plant Is distinctly. American.
It Is indigenous to Mexico. Central
America, and certain areas OF South
America. Emperor Montezuma was
so fond OF II that he had so Jars OF
chocolate prepared for his own table
and 1000 more for that Of his house;
hold Its use among the people was
so extensive that bags of cacao con-
tanning a certain number OF beans
were current as money. The Span
iards carried taste for the drink to
Europe. and even to-day chocolate is
considered a peculiarly Spanish drink.
Cacao is essentially q tropical cult
walton. and Is known In countries sit
uated both north and south Of the line.
On the north side OF the equator the
cacao countries are Ceylon. the Phil.
ippines. CAMERON. the Gold Coast.
Mexico. Nicaragua, the Guianas, Sal
vador. Guatemala. Venezuela. and the
West India islands; south OF the equa.
tor the main cacao countries are
Ecuador. Brazil. Peru. and parts of
Africa with the adjacent islands. The
extreme range OF latitude is from 20
degrees north to 20 degrees south. Not
only is the cultivation OF cacao limit.
ed to these few degrees within the
tropics, but Il Is usually success
only in those areas In which the alti-
ture Is very Insignificant; an eleva-
ton OF between 200 meters and 500
meters 1850 to $500 feet) marks the
limits OF the successful cacao planta-
tions In this equatorial belt In this
respect 1t presents wide differences
when compared with tea, cinchona.
,samphor and coffee. and certain sim
iiarity in environment to the cocoa
nut palm. to the rubber plant. and
bananas.
The cacao tree does not produce
marketable fruit for several years
after planting. but when once the pods
can be gathered--and under careful
cultivation a small crop may be ex-
pected at the end Of the fourth year
the yield Is a progressively increas-
ing one until full maturity at the
tenth year is reached. after which the
fruit is considered the finest, and the
tree may be kept In steady bearing for
fully generation.
This is all a matter OF agriculture.
In addition to the questions OF soil and
shade. of protection and climate, other
important details demand the constant
attention OF the agriculturist These
relate to fertilization, to grating, and
to particular varieties of the plant.
When the fruit or pods are ripe
and picking usually takes place
twice n year. for the tree may have
on It buds. flowers and fruit all at the
same time--they are severed from the