The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-05-13

. thing common to both plants.
The medicinal properties of the coca
leaves are manifold That remarkable
property possessed by the alkaloid
cocaine, of producing local anaesthe
sia has made the plant boon to
suffering humanity and a wonderfully
benefcient agent in the hands OF the
surgeon, even if there were no other
uses for it as a curative. Coca, how
ever, has many other uses and among
the Incas of Peru it was known as
the divine plant" because of these
varied properties In the May issue
of the Bulletin of the Pan-American
Union, Washington d. c., William A.
Reid deals with the history of coca,
the WonderPlant of the Andes, and
tells of many strange customs of the
Incas in connection with their venera.
ton of the coca plant, its peculiar
properties, and describes the plant it.
self in its wild state and the methods
| of cultivation, lie writes:
Many years ago, when Inca civil
ization reigned over vast section OF
the western part of south America,
the young men of the tribes engaged
in athletic contests and among the
most coveted rewards the victors
could expect were little pouches filled
with certain dry leaves. Each pouch
perchance bore the handiwork of
some dusky maiden, marvelously
wrought in accordance with the teach
ings of Mamma Ocllo, the famous
character who tradition says came
forth from mysterious Lake Titicaca
to teach the world the art of spin
ming and weaving. Accompanying the
pouch of leaves, or chuspa, as they
called it, was a small gourd known
as the popOra, containing lime; the
leaves had been carefully plucked
from the divine plant" coca, while
the lime served to make them more
pleasing to the taste. The two sub
stances formed a strengh-producing
element of wonderful power. Sub.
jects of the Incas who thus fortified
themselves by chewing coca leaves
believed their bodies possessed super
human endurance.
The leaves were used at offerings
to the sun; to make the smoke at
sacrifices; tied up in packages they
were thrown into streams and the
faithful followed them for days as a
demonstration of their fidelity; and
at death a supply of the leaves was
always placed with the body of the
deceased"
The original home of the coca plant
is in parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
Bolivia, and Brazil, while it is now
cultivated in the West Indies, Ceylon,
India. Java, etc. The plant, cry
throxylon coca, somewhat resembles
the blackthorn bush of the United
States and grows to height of or
feet, according to altitude and eli
matte conditions In southern Colom-
bia, at an altitude of 5000 feet, and
in some other sections of the Andes,
it occasionally measures II feet in
height, but as elevation increases the
bush degenerates into small shrub.
The branches are straight and the
leaves are green, thin, opaque, oval,
and tapering at the ends. The pretty
little flowers form in clusters on both
stems. The Towering season is fol-
lowed by the production of small red
berries. When grown on the coca
plantations, or cocales, the seeds are
sown in December and January on
small plots of land sheltered from the
sun. When the plant reaches height
of two feet it is transplanted to larger
spaces, and it becomes productive in
about two years and remains so for
80 years or even longer. The leaves
are gathered by pluckers who are
skilled in their work. Both bands
are used and usually only the best
leaves are gathered. These are car
ried to sheds and spread upon stone
beds or hard ground to dry The dry
| ing process is completed in about 10
hours and the leaves are then packed
into bales and are ready for ship
ment. In pound packages the best
| leaves are worth from 35 to 45 cents
at the seaport. In 1912 Bolivia eX-
ported 100000 worth of coca leaves,
while Peru, where cocaine itself is
manufactured, exports annually about