cacao. 243 



in his monography, mentions the following : The Guayanense 

 (Aublet), the Bicolor (Bompland) , the Ovalifalium (De Cand.) — 

 this Theobroma, according to some, is the celebrated Soconusco — 

 Th. speciosum (Wildenow), Th. sylvestre, Th. microcarpum, Th. 

 glaucum, and Th. cacao (Linnaeus). This la/tter, according to 

 most botanists, supplies the cacao exported to the European and 

 American markets. It should be considered as the parent stock 

 of the numerous varieties now cultivated, all of which are the 

 products of hybridism. 



As remarked by Mr. Prestoe : " Under the proceeds of cultiva- 

 tion, no matter how rude, for a very long period, the different 

 species having been brought together, an interminable inter- 

 marriage has been set up, and of course sustained to the present 

 day, in which we have varieties, not one of which is so constant, 

 that one can take the seed and be perfectly certain that the 

 progeny will be like the parent/'' This is the popular impression, 

 and growers of cacao will tell you that it matters not much whether 

 you select for propagation an apparently fine variety, as the 

 progeny is not invariably like the parent. Yet I think it a sound 

 practice to look for those varieties which are deemed the best. I 

 S may mention, in connection with this subject, that a friend 

 reported to me that he once planted some seeds of the beautiful 

 Sangre Toro ; out of many plants, one gave yellow pods, these 

 being, however, in every other respect, shape, seeds, &c, similar 

 I to the parent fruit. I may as well remark here that the red 

 i cacao often turns yellow. 



" There are/'' adds our botanist, " various names uttered in 

 reference to various kinds of cacao ; but I do not find, even with 

 persons who seem to be able to understand that there are different 

 varieties of cacao, that the few names made use of are uniformly 

 applied; but with the majority of growers, there are neither 



! different varieties nor names to distinguish such, beyond, perhaps, 

 'red cacao'' and ' yellow cacao/ As to cacao criollo, it is 

 ■either one of the twenty-two varieties known to me." 



Of those many varieties he has eliminated a few, the most 



minent characteristics of which he briefly notes as follows : — 



1st. (Forastero). Pods, ten ribbed or ten grooved, restricted 



base ; colour, generally red ; beans oblong in the long section 



nd round in short section. 



2nd. (Colorado). Pods, five ribbed or grooved, more or less 



