Vol. XVI. No. 406. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



363 



THE WORLD'S CACAO. 



Under the above title the Trade Supplement of The 

 Times for October 1917 has an interesting article, from 

 which we extract the following: — 



Over 40 per cent, of the world's output of cacao is 

 grown in the British Empire, the Gold Coast being the 

 world's largest producer The exports from the Gold Coast 

 in 1915 constituted about 26 per cent, of the worlds produc- 

 tion of that year, reckoning the latter at 290,000 tons. Brazil 

 is the second largest producer of cacao, with about 16 

 per cent, of the total, and is followed by Ecuador (11 per 

 cent.), San Thorati (10 per cent.), and Trinidad (a little over 

 8 per cent.). 



Other cacao producing countries in the British Empire 

 are Nigeria, Grenada, .Jamaica, Ceylon, St. Lucia, and 

 Dominica. 



W0RLD'.S FRODUCTION OF CACAO. 1915. 



Exports of cacao from the Gold Coast in 19 6 were 

 72,062 tons, valued at £3,845,887. Cacao growing in the 

 Gold Coast is carried on exclusively by native farmers, to 

 whom advice and assistance are given by officials of the 

 Department of Agriculture. The fortunes of the majority of 

 the inhabitants of the Gold Coast are bound up with the pros- 

 perity of the cacao industry, and for this reason the diflSculty 

 of inducing the native farmer to give proper attention to the 

 cleanliness and cultivation of his farm, the prevention of 

 plant diseases, and the control of pests, is the cau.se of some 

 anxiety to the Government and its agricultural advisers. 

 Cacao cultivation is extending in Ashanti, and is a growing 

 industry in Southern Nigeria, whence the exports in 1915 

 were 9,100 tons. Cacao has also been planted by the nativcg 



in the Northern Sherbro district of Sierra Leone, and there 

 are indications of the development of an important Indus' ry.' 



Cacao cultivation has extended of late years in Trinidad, 

 and offers a good prospect to the small capitalist who 

 desires to take up planting. Prices for cacao fluctuate, 

 but there was a fair margin of profit when prices were 

 far below the present high market quotations. The 

 exports of cacao from Trinidad and Tobago in 1915 were 

 24,145 tons. Half the cacao exported from Trinidad goes 

 to the United States. Grenada is second in importance in 

 the British West Indies in cicao production, and the island's 

 output in 1915 was 6,020 ton.s, valued at £402,394. The 

 area planted with cacao does not extend. 



Cacao is taking a leading place amongst the exports 

 from .Jamaica, and efforts are being made to encourage the 

 industry. The area under cacao is about 11,500 acres, and 

 the exports in 1915 were .3,424 tons, with an average value 

 of 59s. Sd. per cwt. From St. Lucia the exports in 1915-16 

 were 924 tons, valued at .£51,495. The output here shows 

 a very satisfactory increase, due partly to extension of the 

 area planted, and partly to improved methods of cultivation. 

 Remarkable results have followed careful drainage and the 

 application of lime. There has been a distinct falling off in 

 the output of cacao in Dominica, the exports in 1915 being 

 540 tons, as against 594 tons in 1912. 



THE SICILIAN LEMON INDUSTRY. 



From time immemorial the cultivation of lemons has 

 been an important industry in Sicily, but in the last twenty 

 years it has considerably progressed. It was estimated that 

 in 1898 there were 6,000,000 lemon trees in Sicily. From 

 calculations based on the production and the acreage under 

 cultivation in 1915, it is probable that there are now between 

 11,000,000 and 12,000,000 trees. According to statistics 

 for June 1916, there were 88,797 acres planted in citrus 

 trees, the larger proportion being lemons. The production 

 of lemons alone in all Italy for 1915 was 534,300 tons The 

 Journal of the Koi/al Society of Arts, June 1, 1917, gives an 

 account of the trade methods of the Sicilian lemon industry. 

 As a rule the grower sells his lemons on the tree to a shipper 

 or buyer for a factory. There is no organization of the 

 proprietors, and each one sells when and where he deems best. 

 The shipper.1 as a rule buy a Avliole orchard at so much 

 a thousand, and then gather the crop as thuy think opportune. 



In general, when the shipper buys a crop he pays one- 

 third of the price at the time of making the contract, one- 

 third at the time the gathering is begun, and the remainder 

 when the gathering is completed. 



Efforts have been made at times to form a combination 

 of the shippers in Sicily, and to establish the business on 

 a firm basis, but these have always resulted in failure. Some 

 of the exporters have desired to sell the fruit on order, but 

 there are too many small shippers engaged in the business 

 to form an effectual combination. 



There is an association of fruit exporters, known as Lega 

 Agrumaria, to which a majority of the shippers belong, but 

 this has never changed the methods of the lemon business. 

 It protects the shippers in various ways, however, and looks 

 after their interest. 



There is little difference in the packing for different 

 countries, except that the English market takes a large sized 

 case as well as one of the regular size. Also the English 

 market prefers large sized lemons, whereas the small fruit 

 is preferred by the American market. The Rissian market 

 requires a medium sized fruit, but of the best quality. 



