224 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1884. 



over the Chocolate to Florence along with the way to 

 prepare it. About the same time the Court at Paris hail 

 received a small quantity from .Spain as a costly gift. Even 

 at present the use of chocolate is most general in Spain 

 and Italy, and decreases as we come further northwards. 



Local Varieties and Particulars. 



In the first part of our article we already mentioned 

 that the cocoa-tree, along with different varieties of that 

 plant, occuis in different places all situate within the 

 torrid clime. The principal of these we will now discuss, 

 following thereby the regions in alphabetic order. 



I. — Africa. 



From the coast of Guinea, and more especially from 

 Monrovia, we get some very good cocoa. 



That this sort is far superior to many others appears 

 from the high prices it fetches. It is known by the" name 

 of African cocoa, and belongs to the species bearing the 

 botanical name of Thcobroma cocoa satire. 



II. — Bolivia. 

 The cocoa cultivated on the banks of the Mamore, is as 

 to quality equal to, if not better than, the Maravilla or 

 Caracas cocoa. "When the railway net is extended there 

 it is to be expected that this sort will be briskly exported. 

 It bears, like the Brazilian sort, the name of Para-cacao, 

 and is packed in so-called servans or baskets made of skins 

 or hides. Even in Brazil this sort is very much in demand, 

 being acknowledged even there as better than what Brazil 

 itself produces. 



III. — Bourbon. 

 In the Island of Bourbon the cocoa-tree is cultivated 

 betwixt the coffee hushes. The produce however is not 

 great, though of excellent quality, much resembling the 

 Oaracas-cccoa from Venezuela. 



IV.— Brazil. 



The plant thrives everywhere here. Many even pretend 

 that Brazil is the home of the cocoa tree. This culture is 

 especially carried on in the districts of Valencia, Camanu 

 and Miens, in the Province of Para, as also in the basin 

 of the Amazon, the Madeira and the Salimoes. Very ex- 

 tensive regions are overgrown with cocoa-trees in a wild 

 state, but the culture, and thence the improvement of the 

 fruit, is increasing there from year to year. Yet this fruit 

 of many of the wild growing trees are excellent, especially 

 those growing near the rapids Layes along the banks of 

 the Madeira. The chief supplies come from Para ; the 

 culture, however, extends to Bahia, even as far as Rio 

 Janeiro. 



The quantity for exportation, however, cannot be much 

 depended upon, especially on account of the frequent in- 

 undations which are apt to destroy the crops. The cult- 

 ure is, besides, characterized by great carelessness and 

 slovenliness; no nurseries are provided for young plants, 

 and the only shade the plant receives is from the bananas. 

 The ripe fruit are beateu down from the trees, piled up 

 in heaps on the ground, and are left to ferment there. 

 Three or four days afterwards the fruit are opened and 

 the beans spread out on the ground to dry, in the most 

 favourable case they are spread out on mats instead of 

 on the bare ground. 



The twofold crop takes place in the months of Decem- 

 her to January and in May to June ; the latter crop is 

 the more plentiful. It seems that the climate of Brazil 

 is most favourable for the cocoa tree, for in spite of the 

 great inundations and negligent culture — or rather no cult- 

 ure at all — the tree thrives there splendidly and gives a 

 very profitable yield for 53 a 60 years. 



The principal sorts in that country bear the botanical 

 names of Theobronia Speciosa and Thcobroma Sylvesiris, while 

 the general commercial appellation is Para-cocoa. The 

 packing for export is in bags. 



V. — Cayenne. 

 An area of about 650 acres is devoted to the cocoa 

 culture. The Botanical name of the product raised there 

 is lluobroma Guayanensis ; in trade the fruit is known as 

 licrbice-cocoa. The culture is much better here. The fruit 

 are dried in the sun, or else in sheds, through which 

 strong currents of air sweep along the fruit there spread 

 out. On account of its good qualities the fruit is often 



mixed with drier aromatic Caracas cocoa, especially for 

 preparing chocolate. 



VI. — Ceylon. 

 The culture of cocoa in this island has not extended 

 itself so much as many would desire. Such of the pro- 

 duct as has been exported to England has been found to 

 be of a very good sort. In plantations situated in those 

 parts of the island, where the temperature is too high for 

 coffee culture, the plant thrives well, and the extension 

 given to the culture there will render England more in- 

 dependent of transatlantic supplies. Seeds of the best 

 varieties growing in Trinidad have been selected there, and 

 in 1874 more than -10.000 seeds and young plants were 

 distributed by the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya. 



VII. — Ecuador. 

 This country yields the greatest quantity of cocoa. The 

 sorts especially growing there are those known in commerce 

 under the names of Guayaquil and EsmeralSa; the botan- 

 ical name for both the sorts is Theobroma microcarpa. The 

 first-mentioned sort is of a mean quality, ouly half the 

 value of the Caracas; it is much employed in Germany. 

 The second sort, the Esmeralda, is better, but this is little 

 exported, as it is more used for home consumption. 



To give an idea of the exports of cocoa from this country 

 we state the following results, the figures of which are 

 given in quintals, Spanish weight ; 1 quintal=100 kilograms. 

 The export amount in 1878 in round numbers : — 



To South America 4,200 quintals 



„ Central America ... ... ... 7,000 „ 



„ North America 7,760 „ 



„ England 20,704 „ 



„ Continental Europe 50,000 ., 



How unequal the export of cocoa from this country is, 

 will, however, appear from the following table, stating the 

 exports of the given years: — 



In 1873 ' 251,812 quintals 



.. 1*74 250.216 „ 



„ 1*75 176.21)7 „ 



„ 1876 224,739 



„ 1*77 203,131 „ 



.. 1878 _ 08,675 „ 



In 1877 the price of this sort was 45 shillings per quint- 

 al, whereas in 1878 it was 65 shillings. 

 VIII. — Honduras. 

 Here the sort known as Socorwzco, and which during 

 the Spanish supremacy in Mexico, was preserved for the 

 Spanish Court exclusively, grows spontaneously. It gives 

 fruit of 5 a 6 centimetres in length. The very same tree 

 under proper cultivation gives fruit in 5 or 7 years, which 

 then measure 7 a 10 centimetres in diamter and 20 centi- 

 metres in length. 



IX. — India. 

 The government of British India does a good deal for 

 the culture of the cocoa-tree in the Peninsula. Great 

 quantities of seedlings of a good quality are obtainable at 

 the Botanical Gardens there. Especially in the neighbour- 

 hood of the tract known as the Neilgherry Hills and Terai 

 they thrive well. Also in Coorg people apply themselves 

 to this culture ; there the plants are fostered in nurseries, 

 and when they have attained a height of 18 inches, they 

 are transplanted into large holes or pits 15 feet asunder. 



X. — Malayan Archipelaoo. 



The cocoa was imported hither by the Spaniards more 

 than three centuries ago. 



In the year 1854 Celebes produced about 100 000 kilo- 

 grams, and since that time the produce has always gone 

 on increasing. The mean produce of each tree is 5 or 6 lb. 

 a year. 



On the London market small quantities of Java cocoa 

 were brought, which was deemed equal to that of Ceylon. 

 In the Philippines cocoa is cultivated only for home con- 

 sumption. The best cocoa is grown in the small island 

 of Maripipi, but this sort never appears on the market. 

 Then follows in quality the cocoa of Albay, which is con- 

 sidered equal to the Caracas. In Cebu and Negros good 

 cocoa is grown, but in no large quantities, so that they 

 are even supplied from Ternate and Mindanao. 



In general the tree thrives as well in the Spice Islands 

 as in Mexico, and is more and more supplanting the less 

 profitable clove trees, 



