A Catechism of Familiar Things | Page 7

parts of
South America, as well as in most tropical climates.
Tropical, being within the tropics, that is, in the Torrid Zone.
Who was the original discoverer of Coffee, for the drink of man?
It is not exactly known: the earliest written accounts of the use of
Coffee are by Arabian writers in the 15th century; it appears that in the
city of Aden it became, in the latter half of that century, a very popular
drink, first with lawyers, studious persons, and those whose occupation

required wakefulness at night, and soon after, with all classes. Its use
gradually extended to other cities, and to those on the eastern shores of
the Mediterranean. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, it was
carried to Batavia where it was soon extensively planted, and at last
young trees were sent to the botanical garden at Amsterdam.
Who introduced it into France and England?
Thevenot, the traveller, brought it into France, and a Greek servant
named Pasqua (taken to England by Mr. Daniel Edwards, a Turkey
merchant, in 1652, to make his coffee,) first set up the profession of
coffee-man, and introduced the drink among the English.
How is it prepared?
The berries are roasted in a revolving metallic cylinder, till they are of a
deep brown color, and then ground to powder, and boiled.
Metallic, consisting of metal.
What is Chocolate?
A kind of cake or paste, made of the kernel of the cacao-nut.
Describe the Cacao-nut Tree.
It resembles the cherry tree, and grows to the height of fifteen or
sixteen feet. The cacao-nut tree bears leaves, flowers, and fruit, all the
year through.
Where does it grow?
In tropical regions, where it is largely cultivated.
Of what form is the fruit?
It is somewhat like a cucumber, about three inches round, and of a
yellowish red color. It contains from ten to forty seeds, each covered
with a little rind, of a violet color; when this is stripped off, the kernel,

of which they make the chocolate, is visible.
How do they make it into a drink?
By boiling it with water or milk. There are various newly-invented
ways of preparing chocolate, so that it may be made in a few minutes,
by only pouring boiling water upon it.
CHAPTER III.
CALICO, COTTON, CLOTH, WOOL, BAIZE, LINEN, FLAX,
HEMP, DIAPER, HOLLAND, CANVAS, AND FLANNEL.
What is Calico?
A kind of printed cotton cloth, of different colors.
From what place did it take its name?
From Calicut, a city on the coast of Malabar, where it was first made;
much is now manufactured in the United States, England, and many
other countries.
What is Cotton?
A downy or woolly substance, enclosed in the pod, or seed-vessel, of
the cotton-plant. The commercial classification of cotton is
determined--1, by cleanliness or freedom from sand, dry leaf, and other
impurities; 2, by absence of color; both subject also to character of
staple, length, and strength and fineness of fibre. These together
determine relative value. There are two general classifications,
long-stapled and short-stapled. Of the former the best is the sea island
cotton of the United States. The short staple cotton, grows in the
middle and upper country; the long staple is cultivated in the lower
country near the sea, and on the islands near the coasts.
How is it cultivated?

The seeds are sown in ridges made with the plough or hoe; when the
plants are mature, the pods open, and the cotton is picked from them.
Where did Cotton anciently grow, and for what was it used?
In Egypt, where it was used by the priests and sacrificers, for a very
singular kind of garment worn by them alone.
In what manufacture is it now used?
It is woven into muslins, dimities, cloths, calicoes, &c.; and is also
joined with silks and flax, in the composition of other stuffs, and in
working with the needle.
How is the Cotton separated from the seed?
By machines called cotton gins, of which there are two kinds; the
_roller-gin_, and the _saw-gin_. In the former, the cotton, just as
gathered from the plant, is drawn between two rollers, placed so closely
together as to permit the passage of the cotton, but not of the seeds,
which are consequently left behind. In the _saw-gin_, the cotton is
placed in a receiver, one side of which consists of a grating of parallel
wires, about an eighth of an inch apart; circular saws, revolving on a
common axis between these wires, entangle in their teeth the cotton,
and draw it from the seeds, which are too large to pass between the
wires.
How is it made into Calico, &c.?
The cotton having been separated from the seed, is spun by a machine
for the purpose. It is next woven, then dressed, and