30 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE 



affords no shade from the relentless sun. Whereas the 

 leaves of the cacao tree are large and numerous, so that 

 even in the heat of the day, it is comparatively cool and 

 pleasant under the cacao. 



Cacao plantations present in different countries 

 every variety of appearance from that of a wild forest 

 in which the greater portion of the trees are cacao, to 

 the tidv and orderly plantation. In some of the Trinidad 

 plantations the trees are planted in parallel lines twelve 

 feet apart, with a tree every twelve feet along the line ; 

 and as you push your way through the plantation the 

 apparently irregularly scattered trees are seen to flash 

 momentarily into long lines. In other parts of the world, 

 for example, in Grenada and Surinam, the ground may 

 be kept so tidy and free from weeds that they have the 

 appearance of gardens. 



Clearing the Land. 



When the planter has chosen a suitable site, an exer- 

 cise requiring skill, the forest has to be cleared. The 

 felling of great trees and the clearing of the wild tangle 

 of undergrowth is arduous work. It is well to leave the 

 trees on the ridges for about sixty feet on either side, 

 and thus form a belt of trees to act as as wind screen. 

 Cacao trees are as sensitive to a draught as some human 

 beings, and these " wind breaks " are often deliberately 

 grown Balata, Poui, Mango (Trinidad), Galba 

 (Grenada), Wild Pois Doux (Martinique), and other 

 leafy trees being suitable for this purpose. 



Suitable Soil. 



It was for many years believed that if a tree were 

 analysed the best soil for its growth could at once be 

 inferred and described, as it was assumed that the best 

 soil would be one containing the same elements in 

 similar proportions. This simple theory ignored the 

 characteristic powers of assimilation of the tree in 

 question and the " digestibility " of the soil constituents. 

 However, it is agreed that soils rich in potash and lime 



