ECUADOR  iii
country  and  established  themselves  as  petty
merchants.
Cocoa  is  largely  grown  in  Ecuador,  the  bean
being  of  a  high  grade,  rich  in  color  and  fats.
Strange  to  say,  practically  none  of  the  chocolate ­
  of  commerce  is  made  here,  the  crude  dried
bean  only  being  exported.  In  1912  $7,653,505
of  this  article  alone  was  exported,  chiefly  to
Europe,  despite  the  fact  that  we,  as  a  nation,
are  the  largest  users  of  chocolate.
Forty  million  one  hundred  and  forty-three
thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty-two  pounds
of  tagua  or  ivory  nuts  worth  $936,511  were  exported ­
  in  the  same  time,  most  of  it  going  to
Germany  to  be  made  into  buttons;  one  German
village  has  fourteen  factories  elaborating  this
product  into  the  finished  article  of  commerce.
Panama  hats  are  made  by  individuals,  collected ­
  by  jobbers,  and  exported,  this  trade  in
1912  amounting  to  $1,372,051.
More  than  $1,000,000  worth  of  rubber  was
exported  in  1913,  and  in  the  same  time  coffee
to  the  value  of  $783,787,  most  of  which  went
to  Chile.