Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/538

 532 CACAO ca, and in the West India islands, sometimes forming whole forests, and is extensively cul- tivated in tropical countries between lat. 25 N. and 25 S., nourishing best between the 15th parallels, and growing at an elevation of 600 ft. above the sea. It is an evergreen, pro- ducing fruit and flowers throughout the year. If unchecked, the tree attains a height of about 30 ft., and resembles in size and shape a black- heart cherry tree. The leaves are smooth and oblong, terminating in a sharp point. The flowers, which are small, appear in clusters, and are composed of five sepals, five petals, and five stamens with double anthers. The fruit resembles a short, thick cucumber, 5 or 6 in. long and 3J in diameter, varies in color ac- cording to the season from bright yellow to red and purple, and contains 20 to 40 beans. These are arranged in a pulp of a pinkish white color, in five rows. Their size is commonly about that of a sweet almond, but thicker. In Theobroma cacao. this respect, however, there is a great differ- ence in the trees of different countries. In Central America the fruit is much larger, being from 7 to 9 in. in length and 3 to 4 in diame- ter, and contains from 40 to 50 seeds ; in the West India islands, and in Berbice and Deme- rara, it is so small as to contain only from 6 to 15 seeds. The rind of the fruit is smooth, thick, tough, and tasteless. The pulp which encloses the beans is a sweet, slightly acid sub- stance, something like that of the watermelon, and is used for food. The fruit matures for gathering in June and December. The beans when separated from the pulp and dried in the sun are ready for the market; but in some countries they are placed in large tubs and covered for the purpose of undergoing a slight fermentation, by which they lose some mois- ture and a portion of their bitter and acrid qualities. While fermenting, they are regular- ly stirred every morning. The same object is attained in Mexico and elsewhere by burying CACHET the beans in pits in the earth, and they are finally sun-dried. The best beans when gath- ered are full, plump, and shining. The shell is of a dark brown color, thin and brittle, and furnishes the cocoa shells of commerce. The kernel is divided into several unequal parts slightly adhering together, and having an agreeable aroma and a slightly bitter but pleas- ant taste. The seeds yield by expression an oil that is very nutritive and acts as an ano- dyne ; but the tree is cultivated for cocoa and chocolate, and the best producing plantations are in the West Indies, New Granada, Ecua- dor,^ and Brazil. CACERES. I. A W. province of Spain, forming the N. part of Estremadura ; area, 8,006 sq. m. ; pop. in 1867 (estimated), 303,700. The north- ern portion is a picturesque mountain land, rich in water and woods ; the south is a plateau covered with pastures; between them the Tagus flows through a valley containing ex- tensive oak forests. The chief towns are Ca- ceres, the capital, Trujillo, Guadalupe, Alcan- tara, and Plasencia. II. A city (anc. Caciiia Castro), capital of the province, situated on ele- vated ground 24 m. W. of Trujillo, with which it is connected by a causeway, and 148 m. 8. W. of Madrid; pop. about 14,000. The old town, on the summit of a hill, is surrounded by a strong wall with five gates. The newer and more important part is built around the old town, and contains a handsome square, a col- lege, convents, an episcopal palace, a place for bull fights, many fine buildings, and numerous manufactories. The city was founded by Q. Crocilius Metellus in 142 B. C. It was taken from the Moors by Alfonso of Castile in 1142, and having been recaptured by them, was again taken in 1184 by Ferdinand II. of Leon. Roman and Moorish antiquities are found there. CACHALOT. See WHALE. CACHE, a N. E. county of Utah, bordering on Idaho, watered by Bear river and its tribu- taries: area, 700 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 8,229. The chief productions in 1870 were 18,577 bushels of wheat, 3,074 of Indian corn, 7,583 of oats, 2,547 of barley, 21,837 of potatoes, and 2,443 tons of hay. There were 428 horses, 798 milch cows, 804 other cattle, 3,167 sheep, and 121 swine. Capital, Logan. CACHET, Lettres de (Fr. cacher, to bide), a kind of warrant formerly in use in France. They were so called in distinction from the lettres patentea, or open letters, which were warrants issued in the name of the king, sealed with his great seal of state, and registered by parliament. The lettres de cachet were closed with the king's petty seal, and were used for ordering persons to quit Paris or France, or to be arrested and imprisoned. They were issued upon the royal authority alone, and not in pur- suance of the judgment of a court. Numbers of them were sometimes prepared with a blank for the name of the person, and furnished to the lieutenant general of police at Paris for