HARVESTING AND PREPARATION 75 



some 468 trees {Amelonado) gave as an average 7*8 

 pounds per tree. This suggests what might be done 

 by thorough cultivation. It suggests a great oppor- 

 tunity for the planters that, without planting one 

 more tree, they might quadruple the world's pro- 

 duction. 



The work which has been started by the Agricultural 

 Department in Trinidad of recording the yield of in- 

 dividual trees has shown that great differences occur. 

 Further, it has generally been observed that the heavy 

 bearing trees of the first year have continued to be 

 heavy bearers, and the poor-yielding trees have re- 

 mained poor during subsequent years. The report 

 rightly concludes that : " The question of detecting 

 the poor-bearing trees on an estate and having them 

 replaced by trees raised from selected stock, or budded 

 or grafted trees, of known prolific and other good 

 qualities is deserving of the most serious consideration 

 by planters." 



The Kind of Cacao that Manufacturers Like* 



Planters have suggested to me that if the users and 

 producers of cacao could be brought together it would 

 be to their mutual advantage. Permit me to conceive a 

 meeting and report an imaginary conversation : 



planter : You know we planters work a little in the dark. We don't 

 know quite what to strive after. Tell me exactly what kind of 

 cacao the manufacturers want ? 



manufacturer : Every buyer and manufacturer has his tastes and 

 preferences and . 



planter : Don't hedge ! 



manufacturer : The cacao of each producing area has its special 

 characters, even as the wine from a country, and part of the 

 good manufacturer's art is the art of blending. 



planter : What good with bad ? 



manufacturer : No ! Good of one type with good of another tvpe. 



planter : What do you mean exactly by good ? 



* For further information read The Qualities in Cacao Desired 

 by Manufacturers, by N. P. Booth and A. W. Knapp, International 

 Congress of Tropical Agriculture, 191 4. 



