Part 15

“The Herb is gathered every four Months, that is three times a year, and in the manuring of it care is taken to weed it often; for the Country being hot and moist, the Weeds grow apace, and the Herb sometimes increases so fast, that the season for gathering of it advances fifteen days; so that sometimes they have four Harvests for it in a year; the which, a certain covetous Tithe-gatherer observing, in my time, farmed the Tithes of all the principal and rich Inheritances and Possessions about _Cozco_, and, taking care to keep them clear and clean from Weeds, he so improved his Revenue, that the year following, the Farmer of the Tithes made two thirds more than what had been made in the preceding years; which caused a Law Suit between the Farmer and the Proprietor, but what the Issue was of it, I that was then but a Boy, did not much remark.

“Amongst many other Virtues of this _Cuca_, they say it corroborates the Gums, and fortifies the Teeth, and that it gives strength and vigour to any person that labours and toils, onely by carrying it in his mouth. I remember a Story which I heard in my own Countrey. That a certain Gentleman, both by Bloud and Vertue, called _Rodrigo Pantoia_, journeying once from _Cozco_ to _Rimac_,[136] met with a poor _Spaniard_ (for there are some poor there, as well as here), travelling on foot, carrying a little Girl of about two years of age in his Armes; and being an acquaintance of this _Pantoia_, he asked him how he came to give himself the trouble of carrying that burthen; to which the person that was on foot, replied, that he was poor, and had not money to hire an _Indian_ to carry it.

“In this discourse with him, _Pantoia_ observed that his mouth was full of the _Cuca_; and it being, at that time, that the _Spaniards_ abhorred all things which the _Indians_ did eat or drink, because they had been abused to Idolatry, and particularly they hated the _Cuca_, as a base and stinking Weed, which gave cause to _Pantoia_ to ask him farther, why he, being a _Spaniards_, did use those things which the _Spaniards_ hated; for his necessities could never be so great as to compell him to Meats or Customs unlawfull. To which the Souldier replied, that though he abhorred it as much as the _Spaniards_, yet necessity forced him to imitate the _Indians_ therein; for that without it he could never be able to travell and carry his Burthen, for that holding it in his mouth, he found such refreshment and strength, that he was able to carry his Load, and perform his Journey with chearfulness. _Pantoia_ wondring at this Report, related to many others, who, afterwards, making the same experiment thereof, found that the _Indians_ made use of it rather for their refreshment and necessity, than for any pleasure in the taste, which in itself is not very pleasant or agreeable.”

A plant having such manifold and beneficent properties must needs have a supernatural origin, and the Indians had a belief that the goddess Varischa first introduced the Cuca plant into Peru, and taught the inhabitants the use thereof. Abraham Cowley sang thereof in his Latin poems, “Sex libri plantarum,” and use is made here of the translation by Nahum Tate, of the fifth book, published in 1700. The Indian Bacchus challenge the other deities to judge between the fruits of the two worlds.

... “But _Bacchus_ much more sportive than the rest, Fills up a Bowl with Juice from Grapestones drein’d, And puts it in _Omelichilus_ hand; Take off this Draught, said he, if thou art wise, ’Twill purge thy Cannibal Stomach’s Crudities. He, unaccustomed to the acid Juice Storm’d, and with blows had answer’d the Abuse, But fear’d t’engage the _European_ Guest, Whose Strength and Courage had subdu’d the _East_. He therefore chooses a less dang’rous fray, And summons all his Country’s Plants away: Forthwith in decent Order they appear, And various Fruits on various Branches wear; Like _Amazons_ they stand in painted Arms, _Coca_ alone appears with little Charms; Yet led the Van, our scoffing _Venus_ scorn’d The shrublike Tree, and with no Fruit adorn’d. The _Indian_ Plants, said she, are like to speed In this Dispute of the most sterile Breed, Who choose a _Dwarf_ and _Eunuch_ for their Head. Our Gods laugh’d out aloud at what she said. _Pachamama_ defends her darling Tree, And said the wanton Goddess was too free, You only know the fruitfulness of Lust, And therefore here your Judgement is unjust, Your skill in other offsprings we may trust, With those Chast Tribes that no distinction know Of Sex, your Province nothing has to do. Of all the Plants that any Soil does bear, This Tree in Fruits the Richest does appear, It bears the best, and bears ’em all the year. Ev’n now with Fruits ’tis stor’d—why laugh you yet? Behold how thick with Leaves it is beset, Each Leaf is Fruit, and such substantial Fare No Fruit beside to Rival it will dare. Mov’d with his Countries Roming Fate (whose Coil Must for her Treasures be expos’d to toil) Our _Varicocha_ first this _Coca_ sent, Endow’d with Leaves of wondrous Nourishment, Whose Juice succ’d in, and to the Stomach ta’en, Long Hunger and long Labour can sustain; From which our faint and weary Bodies find More Succour, more they cheat the drooping Mind Than can your _Bacchus_ and your Ceres join’d. Three Leaves supply for six days march afford, The _Quitoita_ with this Provision stor’d Can pass the vast and cloudy _Andes_ o’er— The dreadful _Andes_ plac’d ’twixt Winter’s store Of Winds, Rain, Snow, and that more humble Earth, That gives the small but valiant _Coca_ Birth; This Champion that makes war-like _Venus_ Mirth. Nor _Coca_ only useful art at home, A famous Merchandize thou art become; A thousand _Paci_ and _Vicugni_ groan Yearly beneath thy Loads, and for thy sake alone The spacious World’s to us by Commerce known.”

Dr. Von Tschudi says that the Coca plant is regarded by the Peruvian Indian, as something sacred and mysterious, and it sustained an important part in religion of the Incas. In all ceremonies, whether religious or warlike, it was introduced, for producing smoke at the great offerings, or as the sacrifice itself. During divine worship the priests chewed Coca leaves, and, unless they were supplied with them, it was believed that the favour of the gods could not be propitiated. It was also deemed necessary that the supplicator for divine grace should approach the priests with an _Acullico_ in his mouth. It was believed that any business undertaken without the benediction of Coca leaves could not prosper; and to the shrub itself worship was rendered.

During an interval of more than 300 years, Christianity has not been able to subdue the deep-rooted idolatry; for everywhere are found traces of belief in the mysterious power of this plant. The excavators in the mines of Cerro de Pasco throw masticated Coca on hard veins of metal, in the belief that it softens the ore and renders it more easy to work. The origin of this custom is easily explained, when it is recollected that in the time of the Incas it was believed that the _Coyas_, or deities of metals, rendered the mountains impenetrable, if they were not propitiated by the odour of Coca. The Indians, even at the present time,[137] put Coca leaves into the mouths of dead persons, to secure to them a favourable reception on their entrance into another world; and when a Peruvian Indian, on a journey, falls in with a mummy, he, with timid reverence, presents to it some Coca leaves as his pious offering.

Markham[138] also says, “The reliance on the extraordinary virtues of the Coca leaf, amongst the Peruvian Indians, is so strong, that, in the Huanaco province, they believe that, if a dying man can taste a leaf placed on his tongue, it is a sure sign of his future happiness.”

He also gives an account of the modern cultivation of the plant. Sowing is commenced in December and January, when the rains begin, which continue until April. The seeds are spread on the surface of the soil in a small nursery or raising ground called _almaciga_, over which there is generally a thatch roof (_huascichi_). At the end of about a fortnight they come up; the young plants being continually watered, and protected from the sun by the _huascichi_. The following year they are transplanted to a soil specially prepared by thorough weeding, and breaking up the clods very fine by hand; often in terraces only affording room for a single row of plants, up the side of the mountains, which are kept up by small stone walls. The plants are generally placed in square holes called _aspi_, a foot deep, with stones on the sides to prevent the earth from falling in. Three or four are planted in each hole, and grow up together.

In Caravaya and Bolivia the soil in which the Coca grows is composed of a blackish clay, formed from the decomposition of the schists, which form the principal geological features of the mountains. On level ground the plants are placed in furrows called _nachos_, separated by little walls of earth, _umachas_, at the foot of each of which a row of plants is placed; but this is a modern innovation, the terrace cultivation being the most ancient. At the end of eighteen months the plants yield their first harvest, and continue to yield for upwards of forty years. The first harvest is called _quita calzon_, and the leaves are then picked very carefully, one by one, to avoid disturbing the roots of the young tender plants. The following harvests are called _mitta_ (“time” or “season”), and take place three and even four times in the year. The most abundant harvest takes place in March, immediately after the rains; the worst, at the end of June, called the _Mitta de San Juan_. The third, called _Mitta de Santos_, is in October or November. With plenty of watering, forty days suffice to cover the plants with leaves afresh. It is necessary to weed the ground very carefully, especially while the plants are young, and the harvest is gathered by women and children.

The green leaves, called _matu_, are deposited in a piece of cloth which each picker carries, and are then spread out in the drying yard, called _matu-caucha_, and carefully dried in the sun. The dried leaf is called _Coca_. The drying yard is formed of slate flags, called _pizarra_; and when the leaves are thoroughly dry, they are sewn up in _cestos_, or sacks, made of banana leaves, of 20 lbs. each, strengthened by an exterior covering of _bayeta_, or cloth.[139] They are also packed in _tambores_ of 50 lbs. each, pressed tightly down. Dr. Poeppig (writing in 1827-32) reckoned the profits of a Coca farm to be forty-five per cent.

The harvest is greatest in a hot moist situation; but the leaf generally considered the best flavoured by consumers, grows in drier parts, on the sides of hills. The greatest care is required in the drying; for too much sun causes the leaves to dry up and lose their flavour, while, if packed up moist, they become fetid. They are generally exposed to the sun in thin layers.

The approximate annual produce of Coca in Peru is about 15,000,000 lbs., the average yield being about 800 lbs. an acre. More than 10,000,000 lbs. are produced annually in Bolivia, according to Dr. Booth of La Paz; so that the annual yield of Coca throughout South America, including Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Pasto, may be estimated at more than 30,000,000 lbs. At Tacna, the _tambor_ of 50 lbs. is worth 9 to 12 dollars, the fluctuations in price being caused by the perishable nature of the article, which cannot be kept in stock for any length of time. The average duration of Coca in a sound state, on the coast, is about five months, after which time it is said to lose flavour, and is rejected by the Indians as worthless.

Cuca leaves can be bought in London, but up to the present time it has not come into much use as a beverage, yet it is supplied in Roots’ Cuca Cocoa, which is a combination of Cuca leaves, and the Cocoa bean.

There is no doubt whatever in Cuca possessing the qualities ascribed to it, and its application in medicine for many “ills that man is heir to,” is being diligently pursued by physicians all over the civilized world, with very beneficial results, and it is a valuable addition to our pharmacopœia. Johnston, in _The Chemistry of Common Life_,[140] speaking of the general effects of the Coca leaf, says that it “acts differently according to the way in which it is used. When infused, and drunk like tea, it produces a gentle excitement, followed by wakefulness; and, if taken strong, retards the approach of hunger, prevents the usual breathlessness in climbing hills, and, in large doses, dilates the pupil, and renders the eye intolerant of light. It is seldom used in this way, however, but is commonly chewed in the form of a ball or quid, which is turned over and over in the mouth, as is done with tobacco. In this way its action is more gradual and prolonged than when the infusion only is taken. It is also very different in its character, because the constant chewing, the continued action of the saliva, and the influence of the lime or ashes chewed along with it, extract from the leaf certain other active constituents which water alone does not dissolve, when it is infused after the manner of tea.”

It contains at least three different constituents; an odoriferous substance, a bitter principle, and a kind of tannic acid. When Cuca is imported into this country the leaves are coated with a resinous substance, like hops have, slightly soluble in water, but wholly in ether—which, on evaporation, leaves a brownish resin, which is powerfully odorous. This scent vanishes if it is exposed to the air for any length of time, and thus is lost one of the most important ingredients of good Cuca—rendering the leaf useless by keeping.

It contains a crystalline bitter principle which can be separated from it by alcohol. Like _Theine_, it is an alkaloid, and is called _Cocaine_; but it is not harmless, as, in many particulars, and in its physiological action upon the system, it resembles _Atropine_, the alkaloid of the deadly nightshade.

It also has a tannic acid, which gives a deep brownish green colour to the _per_ salts of iron. So we see in its constituents it closely resembles the _Thea Sinensis_, only it is more powerful in its effects on the human frame, and, consequently, ought not to be taken in the same quantity as we now take tea, but it is invaluable in preventing, or greatly diminishing, the ordinary and natural waste which usually accompanies bodily exertion.

J. A.

KOLA.

Whence Kola comes—Early Mention of—Early Trade in—Cure for Drunkenness—The _Cattia edulis_—Substitutes for Tea.

Kola can scarcely be called a tea, because, as a drink, it is produced from a nut, instead of a leaf, but it is put here because it contains the alkaloid _Theine_. Its botanical name is _Sterculia acuminata_, and it is a native of tropical West Africa, although now introduced into the West Indies and Brazils. The earliest mention of it to be found, is in “the Sieur Brüe’s Journey from Albreda, on the river Gambia, to Kachao, by land, in the year 1700.” Shortly after his start from Gambia, he was entertained by a Portuguese lady, and “after a short Compliment, one of her Slaves, a young, handsome Girl, but very immodestly dressed, presented the General a Pewter Basin full of _Kola_, a fruit much valued by the _Portugueze_. It is bitter, and makes the Teeth and Spittle yellow.”

Barbot[141] gives a very bad illustration of the nut, and the following description. “The _Cola_ is a sort of fruit, somewhat resembling a large chestnut. The tree is very tall and large, on which this fruit grows, in clusters, ten or twelve of them together; the outside of it is red, with some mixture of blue; and the inside, when cut, violet colour and brown. It comes once a year, is of a harsh, sharp taste, but quenches the thirst, and makes water relish so well, that most of the _Blacks_ carry it about them, wheresoever they go, frequently chewing, and some eat it all day, but forbear at night, believing it hinders their sleeping. The whole country abounds in this _Cola_, which yields the natives considerable profit, selling it to their neighbours up in the inland; who, as some _Blacks_ told me, sell it again to a sort of white men, who repair to them at a certain time of the year, and take off great quantities of it. These white men are suppos’d to be of _Morocco_ or _Barbary_, for the _English_ of _Bence_ island assur’d me, there was a great quantity carry’d yearly by land to _Tunis_ and _Tripoli_, in _Barbary_.”

So we see that, although a fair trade was done in Kola over 150 years ago, it is only beginning to be known in Europe.

In Congo it is called Makasso, and Guru in Soudan, and the seeds or nuts are used in West and Central Africa to make a refreshing beverage, which is somewhat allied to tea, and which has the same active principle as cocoa, without so much fatty matter. It is refreshing, invigorating, and has digestive properties. In the West Indies it is sometimes used by the negroes to counteract the effects of intoxication. It grows in pods, which contains several seeds, about the size of a horse chestnut. At present it is only used as a tonic. Kola is said to be a cure for drunkenness, and to sober an inebriate in an hour’s time; but woe be to him if he returns to his evil courses for three or four days—his punishment will be equal to sea-sickness.

There is a new product, about which, at present, very little is known in Europe. This is the _Cattia edulis_, which is said to be similar in its properties to Maté, Cuca, and Kola, in maintaining animal strength for a time, in the absence of food. It has been used by the natives of Arabia and Abyssinia for centuries. The plant is a shrub with lanceolate leaves of an olive-green colour, and it flourishes in Africa between 15° N. and 30° S. latitude, but it is chiefly cultivated in Arabia, especially in the province of Yemen. From Aden it is exported to the north-east of Africa, and the coasts of Somali land. The leaves are either chewed or infused like tea, and their sustaining virtues have recently been tested by M. Leloups, a French therapeutist. He employed not only the infusion, but the tincture, and an extract of the leaves, finding them all to produce wakefulness and banish fatigue. No definite alkaloid has yet been obtained from the leaves.

In conclusion I may give the following list of substitutes for Chinese Tea and Maté.

Popular Name. Where collected Name of Plant. and used.

Arabian Tea. Arabia. { Cattia edulis. Abyssinia. { Cattia Spinosa.

Unnamed. China. Sageretia theezans.

New Jersey Tea. N. America. Ceanothus Americanus.

Unnamed. Chili. Psoralea glandulosa.

Boer Tea. Cape of Good Hope. Cyclopia Vogelii.

Sloe and Strawberry Tea. North Europe. { Prunus spinosa ⅓ { Fragraria collina or { F. resca ⅔.

Long-life Tea. Bencoolen. { Glaphyria nitida { (flowers).

Tea Plants. } New Holland. { Leptospermum scoparium Tasmanian Tea.} { and L. Thea. { Melaleuca genistifolia, { and M. scoparia.

Unnamed. Chili. Myrtus ugni.

Colony Tea. Cape of Good Hope. { Helichrysum { serpyllifolium.

Mountain Tea. N. America. Gualtheria procumbens.

Labrador Tea.} N. America. { Ledum palustre and James’s Tea. } { Ledum latifolium.

Toolsie Tea. India. Ocymum album.

Oswego Tea. N. America. { Monarda didyma and { M. purpurea.

Unnamed. France. { Micromeria thea { sinensis.

Sage Tea. North Europe. Salvia officinalis.

Ama tsja: Tea of Heaven. Japan. Hydrangea thunbergii.

“Burr.” New Holland. Acæna sanguisorba.

Santa Fé Tea. New Granada. Styrax alstonia.

Unnamed. Central America. Capraria bifolia.

Cape Barran Tea. New Holland. Correa alba.

Capitão da matto. Brazil. Lautana pseudo thea.

Faham or Bourbon Tea. Mauritius. Angrœcum fragrans.

Brazilian Tea. Austria. { Stachytarpheta { jamaicensis.

Mexican Tea. Mexico and Columbia.{ Chenopodium { ambrosoides.

Apalachian Tea. N. America. { Viburnum Cassinoides, { and Prinos glaber.

A tea is also made of coffee leaves, and this infusion has been drunk for an unknown time in the Eastern Archipelago, especially in the island of Sumatra. It is said to be an agreeable beverage, and is preferred by the natives to the berry.

J. A.

COFFEE.

Its Growth and Birthplace—Where most Drank—Legends as to its Origin—Its Gradual Spread—Introduction into Europe and England—Pasqua Rosee’s Handbill—The English Coffee Houses—Their Rules—A Poem about Coffee Houses.

Next to tea, Coffee is, perhaps, the infusion most drank, its use being universal in Turkey, Egypt, Persia, and most Mahometan countries; and on the continent of Europe, with the exception of Russia, it is a greater favourite than tea. In Norway and Sweden it is especially drank, whilst tea is comparatively disused.

It is the seed of an evergreen shrub (_Coffea Arabica_) which grows from six to twelve feet high, with a stem of from six to fifteen inches in circumference. When the blossom falls off, there remains, in its room, or rather, springs from each blossom, a small fruit, green at first, but which becomes red when it ripens; it is not unlike a cherry, and is very good to eat. Under the flesh of this cherry, instead of the stone, is found the bean, or berry, which we call coffee, wrapped round in a fine thin skin. The berry is then very soft, and of a disagreeable taste; but as the cherry ripens, the berry in the inside grows harder, and the dried-up fruit being the flesh or the pulp of it, which was before eatable, becomes a shell or pod, of a deep brown colour. The berry is now solid, and of a clear transparent green. Each shell contains one berry, which splits into two equal parts.