The Cacao-Fruit* 



The cacao-fruit is about the size of a small melon, has ten 

 ribs and is of a reddish yellow colour. The Caracas sort is red. 

 On opening the capsule there are 5 8 rows of white seeds 

 each like a full grown almond, lying equally over each other, 

 and attached to a common central spindle. Each bean rests 

 in a thin pulpy integument, which is of a sweetish sour 

 taste, and that can be sucked off, when a brown bean remains. 

 This bean dried and worked is our Cocoa, or cocoa nibs, 

 known all over the world. 



The Surinam cacao is the ordinary yellow sort, and is planted 

 everywhere. In a Cacao-field many different varieties of Cacao, 

 sometimes evenas many as twenty, are found. The best sort, 

 however is the so called Porcelain Cacao, distinguished by a 

 thin, smooth shell, and the fullness af its beans. 



Then you have the Male Cacao-tree. This distinguishes itself 

 by constantly producing a quantity of blossoms, and very few 

 (at most 3 a 4) fruits. These fruits, i they do come to matrerity 

 at all, only contain as a rule 2 or 3 small beans. 



Fortunately this species is very rare, one tree only occurring 

 within an area of twenty acres. The red Caracas sort is rarer 

 than the ordinary yellow sort. The difference between these 

 two is considerable. The Caracas sort shoots up more vigorously 

 and luxuriantly, displays more growth, flourishes more exube- 



