xxxviii. The Fermentation of Cacao 



of peace, standing at the enormous total of 

 195,000,000. All this discourages individual 

 action by causing those wishing to help to 

 ask, "What can I do against this or that 

 concern?" And unless the Government that 

 dominates, or should dominate, all trade con- 

 cerns points the way, individual members of 

 the rising generation will become still more 

 and more timid and averse to setting out on 

 those voyages of adventure that their fore- 

 bears undertook, and to which this country 

 owes its greatness, and without which our 

 prosperity, in comparison to that of other 

 countries, will not continue. 



It is well to remember in connection with 

 this that an aggregate of individual efforts, 

 whether large or small, is far more advantage- 

 ous to any country or colony, as it brings in 

 its train greater anxiety for a settled state of 

 affairs, more local responsibility, and general 

 contentment, than is, as a rule, forthcoming, 

 when large labour-employing concerns are the 

 order of the day. In saying this I do not by 

 any means wish to decry the latter ; they are 

 bound to be a most important factor in open- 

 ing up new lands ; but at the same time, when 

 we can secure the development of the Tropics 

 by the help of peasant proprietors, and big 

 privately-owned estates, I would urge that we 

 encourage and help them in every way possible. 

 This book offers one means of assisting such 

 folks, for it shows how the cacao or other 



