1000000030

e o e

cmiotnce~ ;

aoel iofitad of

(pin~s

has a fine (mooth

Inl m~raoc,

of a permanent and hl'ely green.

The "Iethod uf pl.lnung tl,e nopal is by nl1king

rows of holes about half a prd deep, ,nd about t\Vo

)'ards difi ant f,001 one anolher. In caeh of thefe holes

is plaeed one or two leares of the nupal, in a

Aa!

po–

filiun, and lhen eOl"ertd with eanh. T hi, leal liwn

after OtOOIS up into a fingle Uem, whieh during ilS

growth divi¿es into (cl·cr.1 branehes , nnd lhc(e (uc·

cellivdy produce

fr~OI

lenvcs, lhe l.rglfi bcing n<udl

to the fiem , whleh is {ull of knulS, as are alfo lhe

branehes, and from lhefe the Icaves h,ve their ori–

Cin. T he ufual helcht of thlS plant is about three

)'lrds, which it (d dom eXCleds. T he fea Ion \Vhen

the nop.1 di(plays all ilS beauty ano viguur, is Ilke

thal of other planlS, from the fpnng 10 lhe aUlumn,

which al. Oaxaca anJ olher pms

Nonh America

i$ at the fame time as in Spaln.

[IS

bloO'om is (mall,

of a

brig~ t'

red, and in lht Otape of a bud; from lhe

ceotre uf which proeeeds the tuna. a name glven 10 its

fruit; and as thlS iocreafes the blo{fom fadts, tiJl at

length it faJls. \Vhen the tuna, or fig, is ripe, the

outward lkin becontcs wloite; but the pul p is fo fu Jl y

impreerated Wilh a deep red, that it tinges the urine of

thofe who .al it of a blood colour, a e¡reumll.nce at–

tended with no (maJl uncafinef, to thofe who are uoae–

quaimed with this panicular. Few fruus, howel"er, are

. ither more wholelome or pleafant.

The ground where the nopal is intendcd tO be planted,

mufi be carefull y cleaofed from aJl kinus of weeds, as

they dralO the foil of thofe juiees which lhe nop,1 re–

quires. Alfo after the coehineal is taken from the pl,lnl,

whieh is never done liJl the infeas are arrived at per–

fea ioo, aJl the fuperOuous leolves are plucked off, tha!

they may be (ueeeeded by others the followi og year.

For it mull be obferved. that the eoehioedl whieh are

b,.d 00 youog plaolS thnve mueh beller, and are of a

fioer quality, than thofe produeed 00 fueh as have fiood

fome years.

Thc eoehioeal was (ormerly imagined to be a fruit or

feed of fome particular plam; an error whieh probably

arofe from an ignoranee of the manoer in whieh u is pro–

pagated; but at preftnt every one is eonvineed of ilS be–

ing an infea, agreeably

ilS name, fignifying a wood–

[oufe, whieh generall y breeds io damp places, efpecially

ing",leo$. Thefe infeas. by rullillg thclllltlves up, {orm

a liul. ball fomethlng lefs than a pe<, and in fome pl"es

are kllown by the name uf

B.lquil.lS

de San ilmon,

Amhony's liule eows: ftno loeh is lbe r.gure of lhe eo·

chineal. exeept that il has not the faeulty ofrolling itfdf

up ; aod its magnitude, wh"n at its full gruwlh, does

not exceed thal of a tick, eummon io oogs and other

aoimals.

" hefe in feas breeo and are nourilhco on the nnpals,

where lheir eggs are placeo , mllng the le,ves ; the juiee

of lhe plant, WlllcJl is lit·", (ui< "umilllmeot,

b~co'l1les

converted inlo their fubllanee; whell,

inll.ad

oi being

thin and walerilh, and, tO . 11 outwaro appearaoee. of

linle or nu ufe, is

reodN~d

mol! bcautiful crimfon co–

l(Jur. The plaot is in May UI Jupe in its moll vigo–

rous

n.le,

ano at this mufi favourable feafvo the 199s

·VOL.

U. No. 39.

are oepor.led: ar.d io the Olon (pace of

t\\

n 1U0nl h·

fl om ananimaleul. , the inf:él gro\\ s up 10 the

r.ze

aho\'(·

mentioned; hut ilS

inf.ol

lI>le is expuf,cl tOa '·,,,e¡y

oan~~rs;

the riolent bl"ns of lhe nurtil

\\111.1

(\\,('('1'

awa)' the egg' from the

fv[¡~ge

of the pl.lnt : ano, wh.1l

is equally

I~tal

td their tender eOnlllllllJOn,. IholVers.

log!, aod frolls, often amek lhem, and oell",y the

le.ves, le" 'ing the careful eultil·ator tlm onl)' r.rOlurcr,

namely, that uf maklOg fires at eertain dlfiallees, ano

r.lhng lhe air wllh fmoke , which frequently pref"vcs

them from the falal effeéls of the lnclemeney of the

weather.

The breediog o( eoehineal is , Ifo greatly obOru,cr·

ed by birds of dl{f"red kinds, \Vlli.:!1 are I'e'y fond of

thele infeas; anel lhe f. me danger

tObe apprehenoed

from the IVorms,

Óe.

which are found among lhe plan–

tations of nop, ls: fo that unle(,

eonfi.nt c.re

be taken

to frighl lhe bircls

~.way

from the rl.lntalion, ano to clear

the ground of lhofe various kinds 01 vermin, whieh mul –

ti [,ly lo fall in it, the owoer will be

gre~tly

olappoiOled

in his expeaations.

\Vhen the in(eas are at their full growth, thcy are

galhered and pUt inlO pOl! of eanhen ware; but grCdt

aueOlion is

requir.le

tO prevent tnem from geuing OUl ,

as, in lhat eafe, great numbers of lhem would be 1011 ;

lhough there is no oaogu of it, where they are at

li~er

ly on the nopalleares, lhofe being lheir nalural habit,·

lion; and where they enjoya plemy of delicious food ;

for, lhollgh they often remol'e from one leaf tO anolher,

they nel'er quil lhe plaot ; nor is it uneommon tO fee

the leaves entirely eovered with lhem, efpecially when

they are arrived al malurity. When they have been

conlioed fome time in thefe

plOt~,

lhey are killed and pUL

in bags . The [odians have three dilferent melhods of

killing thefe infeas, one by hot waler, another by fire ,

and a third by the

r.ys

of lhe fu n: aod

lhe(e are ow–

ing lhe feveral gradations of lhe eolour, \Vhich in fome

i, darl:, and

ulhers bright; bUl all require a

eenai~

degree of he.n. T hofe lherefore IVho ufe hot water ar"

very eareful 10 give il lhe reqlllfile heat, aod that the

quaOlity of water he proponioned 10 the oumbe r of in–

(eéls. T he method of killiog the ercatures by fire is lu

pUl them 00 OlOvds inlo an ovell moucr"e1y hratcd fu r

that iOtenlion; the fi ne qualily of the eochine, 1oepend–

iog on ilS nOI being ol'er dried al lhe lime of ki lling the

inftas: and it lItull be owned, tltat aOlOng the f<veral

ways

Ola

de ufe of tO dellroy this r.t1uable ereature, that

of the rays of lite (un feems 10 bid fairel! for pCl fo rming

it in the mofi perfecl nlanner.

Ber.des the preeamioll

rcquir.le

in killing the eochioeal,

in order

prefe n'e ilS qU.Jiily, il is c<)uall y nceelr.try

10 know ",hen it is in a proper 11m for being removed

from the ICaI'es of

th~

nopal; but as exp':liencc only

C.ln

leaeh the ctlllil'ator this neecO"ry eritcrion. no fixed Iule

can he laio down. Aeenrdinly In lhoíe provine!'s where

ll,e nd¡i"ation of lhefe infeas is ehieOy earried on, lhofe

r.;tlhel:u by ¡lIdians of one vdlage

dlll'u

frolll thole ga–

thered in aoother; and even lhnle gall.crc.1 by one per–

fon in the folOle villolge, are oflcn Jilr.,ent IrlOlll lhule

g.tlhmd by .nother; every indil'iuu,Ji aJlwing 10 his

own melhod.

1 he