“All this taking place during the rainy season, the plants have reached a good size before the advent of the dry weather, and so do not call for any artificial water-supply. Advantage is taken of the ensuing dry season to clear the land and prepare the ground for the new cocal. On the manner in which this is done depends much of the future well-being of the plants. The ground should be thoroughly powdered to the depth of two, and, if possible, three feet, all roots and large stones being removed. On these steep slopes it is necessary to terrace, the terraces being supported by stone walls, the stones laid dry. The width of the terraces, according to the slope, varies from several feet, with a number of rows of plants, to much less than the height of the wall, only a single row of plants being admissible. It is here generally believed that shade tends to the production of the best quality of leaves; so the cocales are planted thickly with a small broad-topped leguminous tree related to the St. John’s bread, but whose name I cannot at this moment recall. There is no doubt that this is a mistake. I have made repeated comparative assays of shade-grown and sun-grown leaves from adjoining plants, and invariably found the latter much richer in total alkaloids. I judge the custom to have arisen from two considerations. There is, as I have stated, a period of two or three months when the plants receive no rain, and then these trees afford a protection from the fierce heat. Secondly, shade conduces to the production of a large, smooth, beautiful leaf, of elegant colour, and thus adds to the _appearance_ of the product. The terraces being thus prepared, on the advent of the permanent rainy season, the plants, now from 8 to 12 inches high, are transplanted, being set from one-half to six inches apart, according to the ideas of the haciendero. From this time until the first leaves are picked, the greatest care must be taken to keep the soil thoroughly stirred and free from weeds. The plants having been transferred in October or November of one year, the first picking is made in March or April of the second following year, one year and a half from the time of transplanting, or two and one-half from the seeds. In case an insufficient space has been prepared, the remaining plants are often left until the following year, and then transplanted, the operation being much more dangerous to the life of the plants.