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Where much is to be pruned away, is generally the fault 

 of the planter. If the tree shoots up too high, the branches 

 must be topped, partly to confine the business of pruning, 

 and partly to avoid too troublesome a height for the gathe- 

 ring of the crop. Keep the tree, then, at a constant height of 

 4 or 5 Metres, this being the most convenient for the clearing 

 and plucking of the fruit. 



The branches and suckers should always be cut from below 

 upwards, with a sharp instrument, as the cacao wood is very 

 apt to split. They should be cut off smoothly, equally, and 

 as close as possible to the stem, the wound will then heal 

 sooner and not be so subject to the attacks of wood-lice or 

 other noxious insects. Some old planters recommend a mixture 

 of pitch and linseed oil, boiled up together to a doughy 

 consistence, to cure the wound withal. Experiments made with 

 this have proved satisfactory. 



Suckers are peculiar shoots put forth by the tree as a natural 

 consequence of its exuberant action. The less a tree produces 

 them, the less vigour and power of development the tree itself 

 posseses. These suckers are more abundant in the rainy season, 

 growing on with the tree in that period ; in the dry season - 

 the resting time of the trees - - they occur less frequently. 

 As these suckers absorb much of the vital saps of the trees, 

 they are positively injurious, and should at all times be removed 

 from the stem by pruning. They are distinguishable by their 

 soft consistence and light colour. One service these suckers 

 sometimes perform ; namely, when it is desirable to rejuvenate 

 a senile tree. The old tree must then be cut down just above 



