Vol. V. No. 117. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



331 



CACAO CULTIVATION IN CEYLON. 



Mr. Herbert Wright has contributed to the 

 Tropical Agriculturist a vahiable article on the above 

 subject. The following extracts from this article are 

 of fifeneral interest • — 



It is a matter of common knowledge that the value of 

 Ceylon cacao has, during the last few years, fallen consider- 

 ably, and had it not been found that this product could be 

 profitably cultivated as a permanent intercrop with Para and 

 Castilloa rubber, the industry would, in all probability, have 

 remained stationary. While the value of Ceylon cacao has 

 recently shown a decline, that of many other countries has 

 not done so, and judging from the numerous local applica- 

 tions regarding the varieties to be selected, the suitability of 

 each kind in conjunction with rubber, and other matters, it 

 appears necessary to consider our position and see what 

 im|>rovements are possible. In the Matale, Kurunegala, 

 Dumbara, and other districts, the combined cultivation — 

 cacao and rubber — is rapidly extending, and seems likely to 

 prove a very remunerative one. 



From a statement showing the quantity and value 

 of cacao exported from Ceylon during the years 1875 

 to 1905, it is seen that the quantity' exported has 

 steadily increased until a total of 69,431 cwt. was 

 reached last year. The value per cwt. was, however, 

 lower in 1905 than at any time,Hvith the exception 

 of the year 1896, during the past twenty years. 

 Mr. Wright continues : — 



The price of Rs. 70 per cwt. obtained in 1892, as 

 against that of Rs. 3.5 per cwt. in 1905, takes us back to the 

 most vital consideration, i.e., the variety or quality of the 

 cacao grown and exported during these periods. Since the 

 ravages of the disease or diseases aftecting the stems and pods 

 first became prominent in Ceylon, there has been a tendency 

 to re])lace the old Criollo or Caracas variety with the more 

 prolific varieties of Forastero and Amelonado, in the belief that 

 the latter was not as liable to the ravages of parasitic fungi. 

 Now, however, the planters are beginning to realize that all 

 varieties of cacao at present cultivated in Ceylon are liable to 

 be affected by the same diseases, and when the latter appear 

 in the fluted and high stems of the Forastero variety, they are 

 very difficult to excise effectively. There has been, during the 

 last two or three years, a distinct tendency to plant the old 

 Caracas type in preference to the Forastero ; the change of 

 variety can be shown to be one of the factors responsible for 

 the varying value placed upon the cacao exported from 

 Ceylon. 



During recent years the cultivation of shade trees for 

 cacao has also undergone considerable change, and whereas 

 the original plantations contained mixed species of forest 

 types or a preponderance of Erythrma imihrnsa, they are now 

 giving way to Hevea brasiliensis, Erythrimi lithosperma, 

 Castilloa dastica, etc. Furthermore, the results of experiments 

 indicate that the shade of Erythrina lithosperma need not be 

 permanent throughout the whole year, but may be treated so 

 as to form a shade of varying intensity according to the 

 seasons. 



In all the species mentioned above there is observable 

 one important and common agreement, i.e., they all change 

 their foliage annually and return large quantities of organic 

 matter, in the form of leaves, to the soil. Methods of manur- 

 ing have also changed, to some e.xtent, during the period 

 under consideration, and the effect of the change in modes of 

 cultivation can be shown to affect the c^uantity or quality of 

 the article produced. The Ceylon methods of cultivation. 



particularly with regard to pruning, weeding, and manuring, 

 are almost unique, and the differences observable in Surinam, 

 Trinidad, Samoa, Cameroon, etc., provide interesting material 

 for our consideration. 



In Ceylon the methods of fermenting, washing, and 

 curing are often quite diiiferent and sometimes quite in 

 contradiction to those of other counti-ies, and the effect of 

 these processes on the quality of the article is only too fully 

 recognized. In the opinion of many, the condition of the 

 trees, whether they are free- or suffering fro)n disease, is of 

 importance in determining quality and quantity. 



It is therefore obvious that there are several factors 

 which need to be considered in connexion with the present 

 and past condition of the cacao industry in Ceylon. 



PACKING CACAO SEEDS. 



The following note on the packing of cacao seeds- 

 appeared in the U. S. Monthly Consular Reports for 

 March :— 



Consul-General Heimrod submits a method of packing 

 cacao seeds for export which has been practically tried in 

 Samoa with excellent results, and which he believes may be 

 of special value to planters in the Philippine Islands. 



The seeds should be selected from ripe pods and well 

 washed in water, then placed on a rough towel and gently- 

 rubbed in order to remove most of the pulp, taking care not 

 to damage the skin. The seeds are next placed in a current 

 of cool air for twenty-four hours. The packing material is 

 composed of equal parts of vegetable mould and finely ground 

 or pounded charcoal, moistened just enough to resemble earth 

 taken out of a shaded place. If the packing material is too 

 wet, the .seeds will rot ; and if not moist enough, the seeds 

 will absorb all the water and perish. A tin box, 8 by 4 by 

 4, will hold about 200 seeds if packed as follows : place 

 a layer of earth and charcoal about J mch deep on the bottom 

 of the tin box, and lay the seeds in rows, leaving a little 

 space between each. Spread another layer of the charcoal 

 and earth, then another layer of rows of seeds, and so on 

 until the box is full. Packing a slip of material across whea 

 the lid fits will help to keep the moisture in. When wetting 

 the charcoal and earth it is a wise precaution to do it twelve 

 hours before being wanted, as this gives the water time to 

 permeate the whole mass evenly. 



FEATHERS AS MANURE. 



In a leaflet (No. 175) issued by the Board of 

 Agriculture, on the ' Use of waste Organic Substances 

 as Manures,' the following reference is made to the 

 composition of feathers and their use for raanurial 

 purposes : — ■ 



Excellent results are obtained in some hop gardens by 

 using about 20 to 25 cwt. of feathers, and the limited supply 

 (amounting probably to only a few hundred tons a year) is 

 rather keenly sought after. ' Large feathers are slow in action, 

 the shafts especially taking a long time to decay; a sample 

 containing many of them is not as valuable as one composed 

 mainly of small, more easily decomposable feathers. The 

 ammonia obtained is usually a little over 10 per cent., a not 

 uncommon price being £5 per ton delivered, giving a unit price 

 of 10s. In spite of the generally good mechanical condition, 

 this price is, perhaps, too high. The price naturally fluctuates ; 

 farmers have been known to pay £5 15s., while samples have 

 also recently been offered at 70s. to 86s. At these lower 

 prices, where the unit value is 7s. to 8s., feathers must be 

 considered cheap. 



