I. W. Nolte & Son. D. G. Knoop. Peter Mohn. Wines. Wingaard's Vinhandel. S. Chr. Hofstads Vinhandel. Olsen & Gundersen. H. H. Krohn Vinhandel. Torvald Mohn. E. Ellingsen. Christopher Brun. O. Pedersen. R. N. Solaas. Ingolf Fr. Olsen. Wilhelm Olsen. Bernt Kleppe. August Faye. Evald Mathiesen. Bonnevie Angell's Bureau, Bergen, gives reliable information as to the financial standing of merchants for about 2 kroner (53.6 cents) in each case. BERGEN, June 21, 1899 VICTOR E. NELSON, Consul. ANCHOVIES IN SCANDINAVIA.* Anchovies, when prepared with salt, sugar, and spices, are first packed in barrels and remain in that state for about two weeks, after which the barrels are opened and the fish sorted into two sizes. The smallest size is used for canning, and is usually packed in three different-sized cans. The larger fish are packed in half barrels (a barrel contains 140 liters, or about 148 quarts), and are sold at prices ranging from 5 to 12 kroner ($1.34 to $3.42) for the half barrel. (including barrel), the price depending upon the stock on the market and the demand for the goods. Anchovies prepared with spices will not keep for any length of time, rarely more than three or four months, after which period they are considered over ripe and are sometimes sold for any price that can be obtained. It is very difficult to place a market value on these goods. Concerning the spices used on these goods, I would say that it is very hard to tell what qualities are used, but about a year ago, during my visit to Lysekil, in Sweden (where a large number of anchovies are packed), I was invited by one of the leading packers to inspect his plant, and I took the opportunity to examine the spices. used and found them to be of a good quality. I was told that he used the same grade of spices in packing anchovies for domestic use as for foreign consumption, and that only first-class goods were used. When quotations are asked from any of the anchovy packers in Sweden and Norway, they are given according to the quantity bought, the commercial standing of the buyer, and the terms of payment, and also, as I have said before, according to the amount of stock on the market. It should be stated that there are, strictly speaking, no anchovies on the coast of either Sweden or Norway; the fish taken here are really sprats, and the proper name for this variety is "brisling" (Clupea sprattus). Anchovies (Engraulis encrasicholus) are caught on the French and Spanish coasts. BERGEN, July 17, 1899. VICTOR E. NELSON, Consul. *The above report was made in answer to inquiries by the Treasury Department, to which a copy has been sent. CACAO CULTURE IN ECUADOR. I am largely indebted to Señor Gonzalez-Bazo (secretary of the Guayaquil Chamber of Commerce), a prominent business man of this city, for the following article on cacao, which in translating I have condensed and revised. GENUS, FAMILY NAME, ETC. Cacao pertains to the botanical family of the Malvacias bictnereaces; it is the Theobroma cacao of Linnæus, of which various species are found in Ecuador. It is believed that cacao came originally from Mexico, where it was cultivated by the Aztecs long prior to the Spanish conquest. The history of Ecuador does not record when the plant was introduced here. It is stated that the annual production in 1741 was from 35,000 to 40,000 cargas of 81 pounds each. Cacao in Mexico was called "cacari" or cascara quahuitl, and the product was called "chocolatl," from which the word chocolate is derived. EXTENT OF PRODUCT. Cacao is produced in five provinces of the coast: Cacao requires a very warm and humid climate-26° to 30° C. (77° to 86° F.)—and copious rain. Rainfall and heat generally determine the annual productivity; but in some years, despite favorable seasons, crops are poor, and vice versa. Strong winds cause damage, and large trees are planted to protect the cacao trees. CHARACTER OF SOIL. The soil best adapted for cacao plantations is one that is deep and moist, the root of this tree growing vertically downward to a considerable depth. Siliceous clay is especially preferred, on account |