242 



The Castilloa is related to the bread-fruit tree, which is well known 

 as a good shade tree for coffee. Mr. Ross followed my advice, 

 and after a lapse of more than twenty years, Mr. Campbell, 

 Superintendent of Agriculture in British Honduras, informs me 

 that the cacao has done exceedingly well, and likewise the rubber 

 trees. I believe that, where the soil is sufficiently rich, Castilloa 

 trees might advantageously be grown among cacao trees. We 

 cannot lay down any general rule with regard to this matter; we 

 can only assert that in some instances Castilloa trees have been 

 used as shade for cacao without any injurious results. In Trinidad 

 Mr. Hart is of opinion that these trees require shade, and we have 

 the theoretical opinion of Dr. Nicholls that it is undesirable to 

 plant rubber trees for shade for cacao because he thinks that pos- 

 sibly we may injure the cacao trees. We may leave the matter 

 open for the present and continue our experiments, in the hope 

 that a few years later we shall know more about it. 



APPENDIX. 



CASTILLOA AS A SHADE TREE FOR CACAO. 



In the foregoing discussion the possibility of using Castilloa 

 elastica as a shade tree in cacao plantations is brought forward. 

 As bearing on this phase of the subject the following extracts 

 from an article by Mons. P. Cibot, reproduced in the Tropical 

 Agncultiirist {February, 1905), descriptive of cacao cultivation in 

 Venezuela, are likely to be of interest : — 



'I have recently had the opportunity in Venezuela of visiting 

 one of the principal plantations which produce that cacao, so 

 justly reputed, known as Caracas. I found opportunity there to 

 study also a plantation of Castilloa elastica used as a shade tree. 



* General Fonseca, installed in the fertile valley for some twenty 

 years, has gradually acquired the greater part of the plantations 

 laid out in it. He owns to day thirteen plantations, producing a 

 total of 480,000 ft). cacao in 1903-4. 



' Going over General Fonseca's plantations, I could not but 

 admire their beautiful appearance and the care taken with the 

 irrigation of the whole property ; but my attention was specially 

 drawn to the plantation of Castilloa elastica mentioned above. In 

 1890, when they were only beginning to think of plantations of 

 rubber trees in South America, General Fonseca was among the 

 first to realize the value of giving as shade to cacao, in place of the 

 trees formerly used and which served no purpose beyond that of 

 screens, such a tree as Castilloa, able to furnish a valuable product. 

 He imported 5,000 Castilloa seeds from Costa Rica ; but these 

 seeds, badly packed, lost their germinating powers, and only 

 seventy seedlings could be raised. The young plants, after some 

 months, were planted out in different parts of Las Monjas estate, 

 amongst the cacao trees, which gave them favourable shade. 

 These Castilloas developed admirably. 



