The flower of the cacao is white; it is attached by a short stem to the larger branches, or to the trunk of the tree; the pod which contains the beans is shaped like a melon, about three inches long; when ripe it is of a yellow colour; from twenty to thirty beans are closely imbedded in five rows in each pod, in a soft, moist, downy substance, beautifully white, and of a very agreeable subacid taste.
The two principal harvests of the cacao are in June and December, but many of the planters prefer gathering the pods during the whole year, whenever they are in a state of maturity. When the pods are gathered from the trees, they are carried in large baskets to a place properly prepared by cleaning it, and laid on plantain leaves spread for this purpose; those who are appointed to separate the beans from the pods, take a small knife-shaped instrument, of bone or hard wood, and make two or more incisions through the rind, and then throw them to others, who shake out the beans. These are allowed to remain covered with plantain leaves, for three or four days, but not more, when they are spread out to dry; and when they are perfectly so, they are carried to some place prepared to receive them, where the greatest care is necessary to preserve them from becoming wet, or from fermenting, which is the case if they be not completely dry when housed. A small stove would often save a cacao grower many thousand dollars, particularly in the December harvest, when the rains prevail.
The cacao plantations generally abound with snakes; for the cutting down of the brushwood, and the subsequent care requisite to prevent it from growing and injuring the plants, allow the rays of the sun to penetrate in many places, and these dangerous reptiles resort to them for the purpose of basking in the sun, of which they appear very fond. At night the enormous quantity of fire-flies, lucernas, which fly about in all directions, is truly beautiful, and their united light is sometimes so great, as to allow a person to see his way along a narrow path.
On an average the quantity of cacao harvested in the province of Guayaquil is six hundred thousand fanegas, of three bushels each; it sometimes sells at seven dollars the fanega. The cacao of Guayaquil is of an inferior quality, the bean is large compared to that of Carraccas, and three times the size of the best cacao, which is that of Soconusco; it is much drier than either of these, and consequently much lighter, and has a more bitter taste; however, the demand for it was never below the quantity produced, and ships from Callao to Spain generally dropped down to Guayaquil to take in cargoes of it; besides the annual supply to Peru, Chile, and Mexico. The cacao produced in the lieutenancy of Machala is considered the best; but I have not the least doubt, that if due attention were paid to the cultivation and harvesting, such as is bestowed in England on vegetables of minor importance, the cacao of Guayaquil would both increase in quantity and improve in quality. No soil or climate can be better suited to its growth than those of this province, for it requires heat in this, and moisture in that. At present (1824) the political changes have opened a fair field to the investment of British capital, and the exertions of British industry in this rich and fertile province; in which I hope to see both employed and prospering, not only in commercial intercourse, but in mechanical and agricultural improvements.
Very large plantations of tobacco are cultivated in this province, particularly in the department of Daule and Puerto Viejo; it is packed in the leaf, and supplies the interior provinces, Peru and Chile; its quality is mild and good, and although it is a royal monopoly, the King paying only one and a half real, three-sixteenths of a dollar, per pound, it employs many of the natives, and pays them moderately well.
Timber is another article of commerce, large quantities being carried to Peru, besides the great consumption of it here in the dock yard: the kinds of timber used in ship-building are roble, a kind of oak, guachapeli, balsamo, cedar, maria, huarango, and piñuela; in addition to which varieties, there are, for other purposes, saffron, laurel, negro, caoba, a kind of mahogany, ebony, cascol, guayacan, colorado, guayabo, mangle, canelo, and others of minor importance.
Salt is another branch of commerce of considerable consequence; it is produced at the Punta de Santa Elena, and carried to Quito, Cuenca, Loxa, as well as to every part of the provinces subject to these capitals; and it is a source of great wealth to this province.
The trade in horned cattle, mules, and horses, of which there is an excess in the savanas of Guayaquil, is extensive; they are driven into the interior, where they find a good market, and amply repay the breeder. The province of Guayaquil also produces many articles of less moment, but all contributing to enrich its inhabitants; some of these are bees wax, honey, small quantities of excellent coffee, rice, ajonjoli, cotton, bark for tanning, vainilla, coconuts, copal gum, sarsaparilla, sassafras, anime balsam, cassiafistula, caraña gum, and cascol, a kind of black sealing wax; large quantities of pita, thread, are spun also from the agave Americana, and many thousands of hats are made annually by the indians in the department of Xipixapa, of a fine white rush, some of which sell for upwards of twenty dollars each.
The small shell-fish found on the rocks near to Santa Elena are worthy of notice, as I believe them to be the true Turbines. They are about the size of a hazel nut, shaped like a snail, and by different operations the beautiful purple dye is obtained from them. Some prick the fish with a needle or cactus thorn, and then press it down into the shell till a small quantity of milky juice appears, into which a portion of cotton is dipped; it is put into an earthen jar or cup, and the fish is placed again on the rock: others take the fish out of the shell, and lay it on their hands; they press it with a knife from the head towards the tail or the slender part, which becomes filled with the liquid, and is cut off, and cotton is applied to absorb the moisture, otherwise thread is passed through it. When the cotton is soaked in the liquor, and a sufficient quantity is obtained, it is mixed with as much dry cotton as it will conveniently make damp, the cotton being well carded or teased; it is afterwards dried and spun; when thread is used it is only drawn through the liquor and dried. The colour is at first a pale yellow, it subsequently changes to a greenish hue, and in the course of a few hours it acquires the beautiful purple tinge so much admired by the ancients, and which no future washing or exposure to the air can alter. The thread dyed by the liquid procured from this small fish is often sold in Guayaquil, and is called caracolillo, from caracol, a snail.
At the Punta de Santa Elena, enormous remains of unknown animals have been discovered, which M. de Humboldt says were cetaceous; and Ulloa, agreeing with the popular opinion here, calls them the remains of giants, because the indians are in possession of a tradition, that men of a colossal stature once landed at this point. I saw a grinder in the possession of Don Jose Merino, at Guayaquil, which weighed five pounds three ounces, and the enamel was spotted like the female tortoise shell.