148 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



May 14. 1910. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



THE YIELD . FROM CACAO TREES. 



The following information is taken from thenrticles 

 on cacao by .J. H. Hart, F.L.S , that are appearing in 

 the West India Committee Circular. Reference has 

 been made already to these in the AgriciUtuval News, 

 Vol. VIH, pp. 260, 292 and .340. In the first case, 

 the information consisted of a summary of a table in 

 which the characteristics of the different varieties of 

 Tkeuhrorna Cacao and T. pentagona were given; in the 

 second, it related to the soils that are most suitable for 

 the cultivation of cacao; while in the third, an account 

 of the best methods of manuring, and of the treatment 

 of the soil, was included. 



It should be mentioned that in the table below, 

 as it was originally given, the yield from each of the 

 twelve trees on which observations were made was pre- 

 sented; this has been omitted here. 



The j'ieltl per tree depends, firstly, upon the cliaracter of 

 the tree, and secondly, upon the quality of the land in which 

 it is planted. Some trees naturally yield more than others, 

 as may be seen in fruit orchards in any part of the world, 

 the aim of the cultivator being to secure a class which yields 

 well. How to secure such trees has already been discussed. 

 That yield can be increased by manuring is certain, where 

 the condition of the soil is such as to allow it: but to force 

 trees with too much manurinij tends to shorten their period 

 of existence. The u^e of sufficient manure is good practice; 

 that ot overabundance is bad. The _yield per 1,000 trees is 

 probably the best test of the value of estates, especially if the 

 records have been reliably kept, and the seller is able to give 

 authentic reference to crops harvested during a period of years. 



Trees of the same size, planted side by side, will largely 

 differ in yield when only seedlings are used. The maximum 

 yield of some seedlings will not be more than 1 lb. of dry 

 cacao annually, while others have been known by the writer 

 to yield as much as Ibfb. 3 oz., annually, of dry cacao, and 

 others have recorded as much as SO lb. per tree. From this 

 it has been deduced that, given trees of special character, the 

 annual crop might be easily increa.sed. 



In the bulletin oj the Jiotaiiiral Depart^ncnt, Trinidad, 

 April 1907, I asked the question: What is the i>ossible crop 

 of a tree in full bearing? It was also suggested that careful 

 oUseivalions should be made by planters, under which the 

 nuuiberof pods picked from selected trees should be recorded. 

 This was taken up by a leading Trinidad planter, and the 

 following table gives the results obtained : — 



Date Harvested. 

 1907. 

 .January 

 April 



Yield of Cacao from TAvelve Trees. 



Total 



-May 



.June 



July 



.\ugust 



September 



October 



November 



December 



3 



2 



24 

 23 

 24 

 22 

 27 

 24 

 22 

 12 

 3 

 17 



number of pods 

 harvested. 

 176 

 202 



64 

 134 

 321 

 249 



26 



37 



63 



99 

 1.39 

 307 



1,817 



-533 

 361 

 .344 



Total 1,238 



The table showing a year's produce from selected trees, 

 being an actual yield, is .strong evidence that progress on the 

 lines of selection of prolific and di,sease-resistiug kinds will 

 be the best means of increasing the annual yield, and that 

 there is a very large margin between the yield per tree here 

 found and that with which estates are at present credited. 

 If trees under ordinary culture can produce the yield 

 of our table, it is surely possible, given well-planted trees 

 of the same character (produced by budding or grafting), 

 to increase materially the annual yield, leaving out all refer- 

 ence to increase by manuring. 



The period of growth of a cacao pod from flower to 

 maturity extends from four and a half to five months, that is, 

 from the opening of the flower to the ripening of the pod, 

 but this jieriod may be extended, owing to the facility with 

 which the ripened pods remain in that state upon the trees, 

 for some days or even weeks after they have reached full 

 maturit}'. It is not good practice, however, to allow them to 

 remain too long upon the tree, or the quality of the produce 

 will suft'er considerable deteriiiration. If they remain much 

 toi long, it will be found that the seeds have begun growth 

 in the pod.s, and instead of marketable material, there will be 

 nothing but a mass of matted roots. If they commence to 



