The Natural History of Chocolate Part 2

CHAP. III.

Of the Method of Planting a Nursery, and to cultivate it till the Fruit comes to Maturity.

_Cocao-Trees_ are planted from the Kernel or Seed, for the Nature of the Wood will not admit of Slips: They open a _Cocao-Sh.e.l.l_, and according as they have occasion, take out the Kernels, and plant them one by one, beginning, for example, at the first Stick: They pluck it up, and with a sort of a Setting-Stick made of Iron, and well sharpened, they make a Hole, and turning the Iron about, cut off the little Roots that may do hurt. They plant the Kernel three or four Inches deep, and thrust in the Stick they before had pluck'd up a little on one side, to serve as a Mark: and so they proceed from Stick to Stick, and from Rank to Rank, till they have gone through the whole Nursery.

It must be observed, 1. _Not to plant in a dry Season._ One may indeed plant in any Month of the Year, or any Moon, new or old, when the Season is cool, and the Place ready; but it is commonly believed, that planting from _September_ to _Christmas_, the Trees bear more than in some Months.

2. _Not to plant any but the largest Kernels, and such as are plump_: For since in the finest Sh.e.l.ls there are sometimes withered Kernels, it would be very imprudent to make use of them.

3. _To plant the great Ends of the Kernels lowermost._ This is that which is held by a little Thread to the Center of the Sh.e.l.l, when one takes the Kernel out. If the little End was placed downward, the Foot of the Tree would become crooked, neither would it prosper; and if it was placed sideways, the Foot would not succeed very well.

4. _To put two or three Kernels at every Stick_, that if by any Mischance the tender Shoots of one or two are broken by Insects, or otherwise, there may be one left to supply the Defect. If no bad Accident happen, you have the advantage of chusing the straitest and most likely Shoot. But it is not best to cut up the supernumerary ones till that which is chosen is grown up, and, according to all appearance, out of danger.

The Kernels come up in ten or twelve Days, more or less, according as the Season, more or less favourable, hastens or backens their Growth: The longish Grain of the Germ beginning to swell, sends forth the little Root downwards, which afterwards becomes the chief Stay of the Tree, and upwards it pushes out the Shoot, which is an Epitomy of the Trunk and the Branches. These Parts encreasing, and discovering themselves more and more, the two Lobes of the Kernel a little separated and bent back, appear first out of the Earth, and regain their natural Position, in proportion as the Shoot rises, and then separate themselves intirely, and become two Leaves of a different Shape, of an obscure Green, thick, unequal, and, as it were, shrivel'd up, and make what they call the _Ears_ of the Plant. The Shoot appears at the same time, and is divided into two tender Leaves of bright Green: To these two first Leaves, opposite to each other, succeed two more, and to these a third Pair. The Stalk or Trunk rises in proportion, and thence forward during a Year, or thereabouts.

The whole Cultivation of the _Cocao-Tree_ may then be reduced to the Practice of two Things.

_First_, To over-look them during the first fifteen Days; that is to say, to plant new Kernels in the room of those that do not come up, or whose Shoots have been destroy'd by Insects, which very often make dreadful Havock among these Plants, even when one would think they are out of danger. Some Inhabitants make Nurseries a-part, and transplant them to the Places where they are wanting: but as they do not all grow, especially when they are a little too big, or the Season not favourable, and because the greatest part of those that do grow languish a long time, it always seem'd to me more proper to set fresh Kernels; and I am persuaded, if the Consequences are duly weighed, it will be practised for the future.

_Secondly_, Not to let any Weeds grow in the Nursery, but to cleanse it carefully from one end to the other, and taking care, above all things, not to let any Herb or Weed grow up to Seed; for if it should happen so but once, it will be very difficult thenceforwards to root those troublesome Guests out, and to keep the Nursery clean, because the Cold in this Country never interrupts Vegetation.

This Weeding should be continued till the Trees are become large, and their Branches spreading, cast such a Shade as to hinder the Weeds from coming up; and afterwards, the Leaves falling from the Trees, and covering the Earth, will contribute to stifle them intirely. When this troublesome Business of Weeding is ended, it will be sufficient to overlook them once a Month, and pluck up here and there those few Weeds that remain, and to carry them far into the Woods for fear of Seeds.

When the _Cocao-Trees_ are nine Months old, the _Manioc_ should then begin to be pluck'd up; and it should be managed so, that in three Months time there should be none left. There may be a Row or two replanted in each Alley, and Cuc.u.mbers, Citruls, and [x]_Giraumonts_ may be sow'd in the void s.p.a.ces, or _Caribean_ Coleworts; because these Plants having great spreading Leaves, are very proper to keep the Earth cool and moist, and to stifle the noisome Weeds. When the _Cocao-Trees_ come to shade the Ground entirely, then it will be necessary to pluck up every thing, for nothing then will grow beneath 'em.

The _Cocao-Trees_ of one Year old have commonly a Trunk of four Feet high, and begin to spread, by sending out five Branches at the top, all at a time, which forms that which they call the _Crown_ of a _Cocao-Tree_. It seldom happens that any of these five Branches are wanting, and if by any Accident, or contrary to the Order of Nature, it has but three or four, the Tree never comes to good, and it will be better to cut it off, and wait for a new Crown, which will not be long before it is form'd.

If at the end of the Year the _Manioc_ is not plucked up, they will make the Trees be more slow in bearing; and their Trunks running up too high, will be weak, slender, and more exposed to the Winds. If they should be crowned, their Crowns will be too close; and the chief Branches not opening themselves enough, the Trees will never be sufficiently disengaged, and will not spread so much as they ought to do.

When all the Trunks are crowned, they chuse the finest Shoots, and cut up the supernumerary ones without mercy; for if this is not done out of hand, it will be difficult to persuade one's self afterwards: tho it is not possible but that Trees placed so near each other, should be hurtful to each other in the end.

The Trees are no sooner crown'd, but they send forth, from time to time, an Inch or two above the Crown, new Shoots, which they call Suckers: If Nature was permitted to play her part, these Suckers would soon produce a second Crown, that again new Suckers, which will produce a third, _&c._ Thus the _Cocao-Trees_ proceed, that are wild and uncultivated, which are found in the Woods of _Cape-Sterre_ in _Martinico_. But seeing all these Crowns do but hinder the Growth of the first, and almost bring it to nothing, tho it is the princ.i.p.al; and that the Tree, if left to itself, runs up too high, and becomes too slender; they should take care every Month when they go to weed it, or gather the Fruit, to prune it; that is to say, to cut or lop off all the Suckers.

I don't know whether they have yet thought it proper to prune, any more than to graft upon _Cocao-Trees_: There is however a sort of Pruning which, in my Opinion, would be very advantageous to it. These sort of Trees, for example, have always (some more than others) dead Branches upon them, chiefly upon the Extremities of the Boughs; and there is no room to doubt but it would be very proper to lop off these useless Branches, paring them off with the pruning Knife even to the Quick. But as the Advantage that will accrue from it will neither be so immediate, nor so apparent as the Time and Pains that is employ'd in it; it is very probable that this Care will be neglected, and that it will be esteem'd as Labour lost. But however, the _Spaniards_ do not think so; for, on the contrary, they are very careful to cut off all the dead Sprigs: for which reason their Trees are more flouris.h.i.+ng than ours, and yield much finer Fruit. I believe they have not the same care in grafting them, nor do I think any Person has. .h.i.therto attempted to do it: I am persuaded nevertheless, that the _Cocao-Trees_ would be better for it. Is it not by the a.s.sistance of grafting our Fruit Trees in several manners, (which were originally wild, and found by chance in the Woods) that they have at length found the Art of making them bear such excellent Fruit?

In proportion as the _Cocao-Trees_ grow, the Leaves upon the Trunks fall off by little and little, which ought to fall off on their own accord; for when they are entirely bare, they have not long to flourish: The first Blossoms commonly fall off, and the ripe Fruit is not to be expected in less time than three Years, and that if it be in a good Soil. The fourth Year the Crop is moderate, and the fifth it is as great as ever it will be; for then the Trees commonly bear all the Year about, and have Blossoms and Fruit of all Ages. Some Months indeed there is almost none, and others, they are loaded; and towards the Solstices, that is, in _June_ and _December_, they bear most.

As in the Tempests called _Ouragans_ the Wind blows from all Points of the Compa.s.s in twenty-four Hours, it will be well if it does not break in at the weakest Place of the Nursery, and do a great deal of Mischief, which it is necessary to remedy with all possible expedition. If the Wind has only overturn'd the Trees without breaking the chief Root, then the best Method that can be taken in good Soil, is to raise them up again, and put them in their Places, propping them up with a Fork, and putting in the Earth about it very carefully: By this means they will be re-establish'd in less than six Months, and they will bear again as if no harm had come to them. In bad Soil, it will be better to let them lie, putting the Earth about the Roots, and cultivate at their lower Parts, or Feet, the best grown Sucker, and that which is nearest the Roots, cutting off carefully all the rest: The Tree in this Condition will not give over blossoming and bearing Fruit; and when in two Years time the Sucker is become a new Tree, the old Tree must be cut off half a Foot distant from the Sucker.

FOOTNOTES:

[x] These are Citruls whose Pulp is very yellow.

CHAP IV.

Of the gathering of the _Cocao-Nuts_, and the Manner of making them sweat, and of drying them that they may be brought sound into _Europe_.

The Observations which we made in the first Chapter, concerning the Alterations of the Colour of the Nuts, give us information of the time that they become ripe. It will be proper to gather them when all the Sh.e.l.l has changed Colour, and when there is but a small Spot below which shall remain green. They go from Tree to Tree, and from Row to Row, and with forked Sticks or Poles, they cause the ripe Nuts to fall down, taking great care not to touch those that are not so, as well as the Blossoms: They employ the most handy _Negroes_ in this Work, and others follow them with Baskets to gather them, and lay them in Heaps, where they remain four Days without being touch'd.

In the Months that they bear most, they gather them for a Fortnight together; in the less-fruitful Seasons, they only gather them from Month to Month. If the Kernels were left in Sh.e.l.ls more than four Days, they would sprit, or begin to grow, and be quite spoiled[y]: It is therefore necessary to sh.e.l.l them on the fifth Day in the Morning at farthest. To do this, they strike on the middle of the Sh.e.l.ls with a Bit of Wood to cleave them, and then pull them open with their Fingers, and take out the Kernels, which they put in Baskets, casting the empty Sh.e.l.ls upon the Ground, that they may with the Leaves, being putrified, serve to fatten the Earth, and supply the Place of Dung.

They afterwards carry all the Kernels into a House, and lay them on a heap upon a kind of loose Floor cover'd with Leaves of _Balize_[7], which are about four Feet long, and twenty Inches broad; then they surround it with Planks cover'd with the same Leaves, making a kind of Granary, which may contain the whole Pile of Kernels, when spread abroad. They cover the whole with the like Leaves, and lay some Planks over all: the Kernels thus laid on a heap, and cover'd close on all sides, do not fail to grow warm, by the Fermentation of their insensible Particles; and this is what they call _Sweating_, in those Parts.

They uncover the Kernels Morning and Evening, and send the _Negroes_ among them; who with their Feet and Hands, turn them topsy turvy, and then cover them up as before, with the same Leaves and the same Planks.

They continue to do this for five Days, at the end of which they have commonly sweat enough, which is discover'd by their Colour, which grows a great deal deeper, and very ruddy.

The more the Kernels sweat, the more they lose their Weight and Bitterness: but if they have not sweat enough, they are more bitter, and smell sour, and sometimes sprit. To succeed well therefore, there should be a certain Medium observed, which is only to be learnt by use.

When the Kernels have sweat enough, they lay them out to air, and expose them to the Sun to dry them, in the manner following.

They prepare before-hand, several Benches about two Foot high, in an even Court appointed for that purpose; they lay upon these Benches several Mats made of pieces of Reeds split in two, together with Bands made of _Mahot_ Bark[8]. Upon these Mats they put the Kernels about two Inches in height and move and turn them very often with a proper Piece of Wood for the first two Days. At Night they wrap up the Kernels in the Mats, which they cover with _Balize_ Leaves for fear of Rain, and they do the same in the day-time when it is likely to rain. Those who are afraid of having them stolen, lock them up.

There are some Inhabitants who keep Boxes about five Feet long, and two broad, and three or four Inches deep, on purpose to dry the Kernels: There is this Advantage in them, that in the greatest Rains and suddenest Showers, they may presently be piled one on the top of another, so that none but the top-most will want a Cover; which is soon done with the aforesaid Leaves, and an empty Box turn'd up-side down.

But that which makes the Usage of Mats preferable, is, that the Air may pa.s.s through beneath, between the Part.i.tion of the Reeds, and so dry the Kernels better. Boxes whose Bottoms are made like a Sieve with strong Bra.s.s Wire, would be very excellent; but then they must be made in _Europe_, which would be a considerable Charge.

When the Kernels have sweat enough, they must be exposed upon the Mats as much as necessary: If Rain is foreseen that is likely to last, it will be best to let them sweat half a Day less. It is observable, that a few hours Rain at first, instead of doing any harm, makes them more beautiful, and better conditioned. In fair Weather, instead of this Rain, it will be proper to expose them to the Dew for the first Nights.

The Rain of a whole Day or two will do no harm, if they are not covered before they have had the Benefit of the Sun, for a Day, or half a Day at least. For after a Day's Sun-s.h.i.+ne, they are to be wrap'd in the Mat, as before directed; but if it be half a Day's Rain only, then they are only covered with _Balize_ Leaves in the Night, kept on with little Stones laid at each End: But if the Rain be too long, it makes them split, and then they will not keep long; they therefore make Chocolate of it immediately.

If the Kernels have not sweat enough, or they wrap them too soon in the Mat, they are subject to sprit or germe, which makes them bitter, and good for nothing.

When the Kernels have been once wrapped in a Mat, and begun to dry, care must be taken that they do not grow moist again; they must therefore be well stirr'd from time to time, that they may be thorowly dry'd, which you may know by taking a Handful in your Hand, and shutting it: if it cracks, then it is time to put them into your Store-house, and to expose them to sale.

Those who would gain a Reputation in giving out a good Merchandize, before they pack it up in Vessels, pick it, and throw aside the little, wither'd, and thin Kernels, which are not only unsightly, but render the Chocolate something worse.

Afterwards the Kernels of the _Cocao-Nut_ are dried in the Sun, before they are brought to _Europe_, and sold by the Druggists and Grocers, who distinguish it into great and small, and into that of _Caraqua_, and that of the _French_ Islands, tho with no good Foundation, for in the Places themselves they make no mention of this Distinction: It therefore seems likely, that the Merchants find their account in sorting it, since Kernels proceeding from the same Tree, and from the same Nut, are not always of the same bigness. It is indeed true, that if one Parcel of Kernels be compared with another, the one may consist of bigger than the other, which may arise from the Age or Vigour of the Trees, or from the Nature of the Soil; but certainly there is no kind of Kernels which may be called Great, as a distinct Kind, nor consequently no other which can properly be said to be Small.

The Kernels that come to us from the Coast of _Caraqua_, are more oily, and less bitter, than those that come from the _French_ Islands, and in _France_ and _Spain_ they prefer them to these latter: But in _Germany_, and in the North (_Fides sit penes Autorem_) they have a quite opposite Taste. Several People mix that of _Caraqua_ with that of the Islands, half in half, and pretend by this Mixture to make the Chocolate better.

I believe in the bottom, the difference of Chocolates is not considerable, since they are only obliged to encrease or diminish the Proportion of Sugar, according as the Bitterness of the Kernels require it. For it must be considered, as we have already said, that there is but one kind of _Cocao-Tree_, which grows as naturally in the Woods of _Martinico_, as in those of the Coast of _Caraqua_, that the Climates are almost the same, and consequently the Temperature of the Seasons equal, and therefore there cannot be any intrinsick Difference between these Fruits of any great moment.

As to the outward Difference that is observed, it can arise from nothing but the Richness of the Soil, or the contrary; from the different Culture, and from the Care or Negligence of the Labourers and those that prepare it, from the time of its gathering, to the time of its Delivery, and perhaps from all three together. It is to be observed at _Martinico_, that the _Cocao-Trees_ prosper better in some Parts than others, merely from the Difference of the Soil, being more or less rich, or more or less moist.

I have had the Experience of one of my Friends, concerning what relates to the Cultivation and Preparation of this Tree and its Fruit, which demonstrates that they may add to its Value. This Gentleman, with a great deal of Application and Thought, found out the way to prepare the finest Merchandize of the Island, which was prefer'd by the Merchants to all the rest, and bore a greater Price than that of any of his Neighbours.

The Kernels of _Caraqua_ are flattish, and for Bulk and Figure not unlike our large Beans. Those of _St. Domingo_, _Jamaica_, and _Cuba_, are generally larger than those of the _Antilloes_. The more bulky the Kernels are, and better they have been nourished, the less Waste there is after they have been roasted and cleansed, which some Years ago was an Advantage to those of _Caraqua_. But at present, by the Regulation from the Month of _April_, 1717, the Kernels of our Colonies pay but Two-pence Duty for Entry, whereas Foreigners pay always Fifteen: These thirteen Pence difference make such ample amends for the small Waste, that there is a great deal of reason to hope, that for the time to come, there will be none but the Curious, and People that do not value the Expence, that will make use of the Chocolate of _Caraqua_, by way of preference to that of the _French_ Islands, and that the Cheapness of the latter will double the Consumption at least.

The best _Cocao-Nuts_ have very brown firm Sh.e.l.ls, and when the Kernel is taken out, it ought to be plump, well nourish'd, and sleek; of the Colour of a Hazle-Nut on the outside, but more inclining to a Red within; its Taste a little bitter and astringent, not at all sour or mouldy[z]. In a word, without any Smell, and not worm-eaten.

The Fruit of the _Cocao-Tree_ is the most oily that Nature has produced, and it has this admirable Prerogative, never to grow rank let it be ever so old, which all other Fruit do that are a.n.a.logous to it in Qualities; such as _Nuts_, _Almonds_, _Pine-Apple-Kernels_, _Pistachoe Nuts_, _Olives_, &c.

There are also imported from _America_, _Cocao-Kernel-Cakes_ of about a Pound weight each; and as this Preparation is the first and princ.i.p.al in the Composition of Chocolate, it will be proper to add here the Manner of making it.