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2,92
DRINKS.
whieh
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
up-
wards
of
forty
years.
The
first
harvest
is
called
qtiita
calzoHy
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
("
tiijie
"
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
ia
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-caucka,
and
carefully
dried
in
the
sun.
The
dried
leaf
is
called
Coca.
The
drying
yard
is
formed
of
slate
flags,
called
pizarj'a
;
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
ex-
terior
covering
of
bay
eta,
or
cloth.
^
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.
1
In
1
86
1,
the
cesto
of
Coca
sold
at
8
dollars
in
Sandia.
In
Huanaco
it
was
5
dollars
the
aroba
of
25
lbs.