236 



THE CULTIVATION OF CACAO IN CEYLON''* 



By Herbert Wright. 



It is a matter of common knowledge that the value of the 

 Ceylon cacao has, during the last few years, fallen considerably, 

 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 applications 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 improvements 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. 



The output and value of cacao from Ceylon are obvious from a 

 consideration of the following supplied by the Principal Collector 

 •of Customs, Colombo : — 



Year. Quantity. Total value. Value per cwt. 



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

 Rs. 35 per cwt. in 1905, takes us back to the most vital consi- 

 deration i.e., the variety or quality of the cacao grown and 

 exported during these periods. Since the ravages of the disease 

 or diseases affecting the stems and pods first became prominent 

 in Ceylon, there has been a tendency to replace 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 realise 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, are very difficult to effectively excise. 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. 



» From " The Jirojjical Agnculturist," July IB, 1906, p. 73, 



