September i, 1884.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



221 



of America and most probably derived from Mexico. Its 

 height varies from 15 to 40 feet, but when under cultiv- 

 ation seldom exceeds 18 feet in height. It is at present 

 cultivated in almost all tropical countries. 



The wood of this tree is light and porous, and takes 

 a beautiful polish. The leaves are fully one foot in length, 

 at first of a purple colour, afterwards green. The sepals 

 art- pink, the petals of a deep yellow. 



In the tropics it grows on eminences as high as 2,000 

 feet, occurs wild between 17 degrees latitude north and 

 south, but is cultivated in both directions up to 25° N. 

 and S. latitude. 



The seeds or beans are contained within an egg-shaped 

 oblong gourd, of a dirty lemon colour, with a reddish 

 brown ring 6 or 8 inches long and 3 or 3h inches thick ; 

 this fruit has a ligneous shell, pentagonal, and contains 

 a white, rather sweet-tasted pasty matter, in which the 

 seeds are embedded. In each of the five angles are mostly 

 eight seeds lying close together, placed in rows, of a 

 yellowish brown colour. These seeds are at most one inch 

 long, and surrounded by a brittle, thin, scaly shell; they 

 taste rather bitter and astringent. The tree is constantly 

 in bloom, like the lemon tree, the coffee tree and others, 

 thus bearing blossoms and fruit at the same time. To 

 give the seeds or beans a pleasanter taste, to destroy 

 the germ and to dry them, they are treated in three 

 principal ways, which we will describe further on more 

 in detail. 



The value of the different sorts for commerce depends 

 on the various ways of treatment, and also on circum- 

 stances resulting from climate and culture. 



These sorts are generally named after the countries where 

 they grow, or the ports whence they are exported. 



The cocoa-plantations yield annually two harvests ; one 

 of these occurs in the months from February to June, 

 while the other takes place in the mouths from August 

 to December. The second harvest yields the largest crop. 



After the fruit are plucked, they are opened, and the 

 sweetish acid, pasty pulp, mentioned above is removed, 

 and the seed or beans are taken out. These seeds are 

 then treated after one of the following methods: — 



I. — The seeds are shaken in heaps, often stirred and 

 then left to dry in the sun. 



II. — The seeds are put into tubs, and the covers pressed 

 down upon them by the weight of stones; then a gentle 

 ferment takes place. 



III. — The seeds are thrown into pits dug in the ground, 

 are then covered up with loose earth, and afterwards 

 spread out on a sandy ground to dry in the sun. Here 

 also a gentle fermentation, mostly called rotting, takes 

 place, by which the germs are destroyed and the beans 

 themselves rendered more durable. 



Many give the preference to the second method, because, 

 according to them, the taste is less bitter, and the bean 

 browner and harder. 



The best sorts of cocoa are the Mexican, but these are 

 not all brought in the trade, since the Mexicans keep 

 the best for their own use. 



A.— Clayed Sokts. 



The good sorts in commerce are: — 



I. — Cur, t> soconusco, w Gacao soconazeo; the bean of this 

 sort is small and very convex; it has a fine aromatic fragr- 

 ance and a delicate flavour. The colour is golden-yel- 

 low. It grows in Mexico, and its scientific name is Theo- 

 ' ovalifolia. 



II. — Cacao esmeralda, the bean of which is still smaller. 

 This species grows chiefly in Peru and Ecuador. The 

 scientilu uame i Vh *carpa. 



ID. — Caracals cacao, called also Cacao tie la Guayra, 

 with pretty large thick seeds. This sort posses 

 agreeable aroma, while the taste is spicy and rather oily 

 and bitter. 



IV. — Guatemala Cacao, with very large, thick, strongly 

 vaulted, sometimes angular seeds. It grows in (Antral 

 America, and with a number of other sorts bears the 

 common appellation of Theobroma Cacao or Theobromt 



V. — i. :i sort very nearly approaching the 



Oaraccas. It grows in Ecuador and Peru, and bears with 

 the Esmeralda sort the botanical name of Theobroma micro- 

 carpa. 



VI. — Guyatia C a, by which name the various so: 



Berbkc, Surinam and Essequebo are distinguished, The 



botanical name is Theobroma Guayanensis. It grows in 

 Cayenne, Surinam and elsewhere. The beans of this sort 

 are commonly covered with a grey or reddish clay, in 

 which appear small glittering scales. 



B. — Uncl.vved Sokts. 

 I. — Cayenne Cocoa, with unequal seeds, partially of a 

 dark-red colour and hard, partially ash-coloured, very brittle, 

 inside bluish-red. 



II. — Cocoa of the Islands. — This sort is mainly cultiv- 

 ated in the West Indies, in the Antilles. The seeds are 

 not large, flat, and pointy at one end, blunt at the other, 

 of a reddish brown colour, and of an astringent and bitter 

 taste. 

 III. — Brazilian Cocoa. — To this species belong: — 

 a. — The Para, the botanical name of which is Theobroma 

 speciosa ; it grows in Brazil. 



b. — The Marahan, the botanical name of which is Theo- 

 ht'oiaa bicolor, while the name under which it is known 

 in commerce is Bahia. It grows likewise in Brazil. 



c. — The Rio-Negro, like the other two sorts growing in 

 Brazil, and agreeing with the other Brazilian sorts of 

 cocoa in its beans being small, flat and smooth, of a reddish 

 or yellowish brown colour and a bitter and astringent taste. 

 In the seeds we distinguish the shell and the kernel. 

 The principal substance of the beans is a tatty oil, the 

 proportion of which in some sorts is above 50 per cent. 

 They further contain albumen, starch, and an indifferent, 

 crystalizable, white substance called Theobromine. 



According to analyses of several scientists, the shell is 



on an average 12 per cent and the kernel 8S per cent of 



the weight of the beans. A careful analysis of the kernel 



of a good Esmeralda sort presented the following results : — 



Fat (cocoa-butter) ... ... 5310 per cent. 



Cocoa-red ..." ... ... 201 „ 



Starch ... ... ... ... 1091 „ 



Gums ... ... ... ... 7'75 „ 



Alljumen ... ... ... 16'70 „ 



Vegetable Fibre ... ... .... 0'90 „ 



Water ... ... ... ... 5'28' „ 



Ashes ... ... ... ... 1-99 „ 



From the following figures stating the annual produce 

 of the countries named, the general importance of the 

 culture may be somewhat judged of: — 



Ecuador ... ... ... 14,000,000 kilograms. 



Trinidad ... ... ... 5,500,000 „ 



Brazil ... ... ... 3,500,000 „ 



Venezuela ... ... ... 3,000,000 „ 



Grenada ... .. ... 1,000,000 „ 



Mexico ... ... ... 1,000,000 „ 



Martinique ... ... ... 350,000 „ 



St. Vincent and Hayti ... 275,000 „ 



Celebes ... ... ... 125,000 „ 



St. Lucia ... ... ... 125,000 „ 



Guadalope ... ... ... 100,000 „ 



Dominica ... ... ... 100,000 „ 



Cayenne ... ... ... 33,000 „ 



Jamaica ... ... ... 25,000 „ 



The climatic conditions of some regions render certain 

 modifications in the culture necessary. 



The first care of the cocoa-planter is to lay out a nursery 

 for the young plants. For this purpose a ploc of humid 

 ground is selected, especially free from weeds. Thecocoa 

 seeds are taken carefully, from the ripe pods; they are 

 sown at intervals of one foot in furrows of two inches 

 depth, and then covered lightly with earth. Then the 

 banana leaves are spread over the ground, and are left 

 for about two weeks; at the end of this period the cocoa- 

 plants begin to appear. The ground must be carefully 

 watched as to weeds, and these must be carefully extr: 

 till the young plants have attained a height of 12 to Is in,, 

 th.n they are carefully dug up and transplanted to the 

 plantation proper. 



The ground to jbe chosen for this purpose must be a 



rich fat soil, and in a fit situation for irrigation. The 



I row best on gentle slopes, proti :-t th< 



prevailing cold winds. When the ground is previously well 



I ed, seeds or shoots of varieties ot the coral-trees 



are plan da intei tls i 

 to 40 i i i ■ I 



no; they grow up luxuriously, and yield con- 

 stant j '!:. shade required for thecocoa, 



