Vol. XVIII. No, 452. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



267 



The situation in the West Indies is more comparable to 

 that existing in the Southern States, where covvjieas are cul- 

 tivated for their great value as soil covers and soil improvers, 

 as well as for use for fodder, and where the acreage grown 

 under this crop would be probably very much greater, bat for 

 the serious losses resulting from the attacks of these weevils. 



These notes will be concluded in the next issue of 

 this Journal. 



CACAO PRODUCTION IN THE BRITISH 

 EMPIRE. 

 A comprehensive article on the above subject showing 

 the relative importance of the cacao industry in the 

 different colonies, the prospects of extension, and the 

 countries of consumption has been published in the 

 BiiHefin of the Imperial Institute, Vol. XVII, No. I, 

 January-March, 1919. 



Th3 importance of cacan as a world's product is 

 shown by the circumstance that in 191G the production 

 was nearly 300,000 tons. The countries that contributed 

 chiefly to this production were, in order of importance, the 

 Gold Coast, Br,izil, Ecuador, San Thome, Trinidad, San 

 Domingo, aad Venezuela, each responsible for a supply 

 exceeding 14,000 tons. Reference is made to the old 

 cacao-growing countries, like Haiti, Dutch Guiana, and 

 Martinique, which have now lost the importance they 

 possessed ma-y years ago. In regard to the consumption 

 of cacao, it is stated tha' the present high rate was 

 originally due to a discovery in the years immediately 

 preceding 1830 of a method tor separating the fat of the 

 cacao bean, called cacio but er so as to produce a powder 

 that could be readily mixed with milk or water. The new 

 invention not only improved the cocoa, but, what is more 

 important, made it cheaper, and therefore enormously in- 

 creased its consumption. 



The article gives a general account of the varieties 

 grown, and describes the general process of fermentation. 

 But the most useful part of the article is the statistical 

 part which gives the production an! consumption in 

 different countries. The table on page 47 shows that the 

 production (estimated) on the Gold Coast during 1917 was 

 1 819,280 cwt. The estimated poduction for the whole 

 of the British Empire during 1917 was 2,857, .iOO. The 

 total world's production (estimated) w^s 6,628,000 It is 

 interesting to note in this table the importance of Nigeria 

 as a cacao-producing country The production there in 19 1 7 

 was estimated at over .'^00,000 cwt. which is about half 

 the estimated production for Trinidad, and puts Nigeria, 

 next to Trinidad, which Colony is the second largest cicao- 

 produciog country in the British Empire. 



Taming to the notes on cacao production in the individual 

 colonies and protectorates, reference is nnde first to the 

 Gold Coast. Under this heading it is stated that the variety 

 of cacao in general cultiva ion on the Gold Coast is 

 Amelonado. It is significantly stated thit the variety called 

 Cundeamor by the officials of the Department of Agriculture 

 is only due to its outward resemblmce to a Ceylon type of 

 that name. However, the beans from ihis type have proved 

 superior to the fine fermonted Accra cacao Cundeamor is 

 now being sought after by the natives, and in time consider- 

 able areas should be planted with it In dealing with 

 varieties it is to be regretted that the writers of the article 

 kave not discussed the question of the susceptibility of the 



Criollo types, ind their alleged gradual disappearance from 

 cultivation. 



In Nigeria, the article goes o« to say, much success has 

 been obtained through the use ofartificid driers. Cicao 

 cultivation has become an important industry in Nigeria 

 and when the newly planted areas come into bearing, and 

 as planters become batter acquainted with the proper way to 

 cultivate the crop, it is anticipated that a very considerable 

 increase in the exports will ba shown In the remaining 

 African colonies and protectorates cacao growing is not aa 

 especially important industry. 



The article gives a good deal of space to the discussion 

 of cacao production in the West Indies. Reference is made 

 to the uniformity of Trinidad cacao, and the excellent prices 

 it realizes. It is noted that cacao production in Jamaica is 

 somewhat less than that of Ceylon, namely about 6.5,000 cwt, 

 Jamaica cacao is stated to be largely of the finer kind, being 

 somewhat similar, but inferior to Trinidad cacao. In genersJ 

 it is believed that in the West Indian colonies other than 

 Trinidad and Grenada, where cacao is the principal crop, the 

 natural conditions, and the large interest at present taken 

 in other crops and products render it unlikely that any 

 consideration may be given to the introduction or extension 

 of cacao growing there. With this opinion we agree. 



In conclusion the article under consideration says : 

 ' In the countries where European carefuUy-supervized 

 plantations aie most likely to develop, the West Indies 

 offer a field for some expansion. Ceylon, however, 

 which has the same facilities for perfected cultivation 

 and manufacture, is more interested a'^ the present time 

 ill other directions, bat may become at any time occupied- 

 in the greater extension of cacao growing. Among the British 

 possessions on the mainland of America, when the obstacles 

 in respect to labour and transport are overcome, both Brit- 

 ish Gaianiand British Honduras present suitable opportuni 

 ties for cicao extension. With regard to the native industry 

 in West Africa, this miy extend to vast dimensions, but 

 is in an unstable condition, easily injured by temporary 

 adverse circumstances, for which reason it requires to be 

 most carefully watched.' 



The remaining sections of the article under review deal 

 wiih the world's consumption of cicao, and, the cacio trade 

 of the British Empire. The United Sc<tes easily head-i 

 the list as the largest consumer of cacao, and, before the 

 war, the next largest consumer was Germany. What the 

 future consumption in the Central European countries is 

 likely to be is not stated, though this must necessarily have 

 a considerable amount of intluence upon trade and prices in 

 the immediat-j future. No doubt it is hoped that Great 

 Britain may increas-^ her imports of raw cacao from the 

 British Empire and .e-export it in the form of manufactured 

 cocoa and confectionery to other countries. 



The indigo of Nigeria and its value as a dye, is dealt 

 with in the Bulletin -jf the Imperial Institute for .Fanuary- 

 March, 1919. The native indigo plant of West Africa is 

 Lonchoearpus eyaneseens (natural order Leguminosae). 

 The percentages of indigotin obtained from various 

 samples have been found satisfactory. Practical trials, 

 it is stated, with well prepared samples of the indigo, 

 would be required, in order to establish its technical and 

 commercial value in comfarison with the grades of 

 naturnl indigo derived from cultivated species of Indigofera. 

 A related species of Lonchoearpus occurs in the West 

 Indies, known in Barbados as 'Spanish ash'. 



