1892 Drinks of the world

DRINKS.

293

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 pro- duced 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 Pas to, 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 Ciica 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