General Observations. 



It is no uncommon phenomenon, that the cacao-beetles, or 

 caterpillars, do more damage in one plantation than in another. 

 The cause may be local, as : the presence of many young 

 trees, lack of labourers or of pecuniary means to continue the 

 persecution uninterruptedly, or sometimes the indifference 

 or negligence of the planter. 



In one bed, in the same field, at a small distance of 16 or 

 1 8 feet from each other, two cacao-trees may be often seen, 

 the one in full growth and bloom, the other backward and 

 stunted. The causes of this may be: 



i. that the earth on that spot is too close packed (heavy 

 clayey soil), and suffers too much from the sun, making it 

 as hard as stone, so that in the rainy season the water cannot 

 penetrate, but remains on the surface; 



2. that the tree is insufficiently shaded; 



3. that the taproot in planting has been bent crooked, 

 and lacks the power to shoot vertically downwards, a - 

 circumstance which will always make such a tree pine away. 



In the first case the looseness and porosity of the ground 

 must be promoted by applying lime, as has been said above, 

 in the second case additional shade must be provided. If, in 

 spite of these trials, the tree remains in a languishing state, 

 it must be dug out and the roots must be further examined. 



