i8o COCOA 



The system of cocoa cultivation evolved by the natives 

 represents a minimum of labour and expense. The 

 forest is only partly felled, all large trees being left 

 standing. Seedlings are raised on nursery beds on low- 

 lying moist land adjoining streams, and they are generally 

 planted out along with native food crops, such as plan- 

 tains (Musa) and coco yams (Colocasia). In this way 

 they are generally fortunate in getting a good start, as 

 these crops afford a delightful cooling shade very neces- 

 sary for the young seedlings. The cultivation given to 

 these crops, which consists of a periodical weeding with 

 a cutlass or hoe, is also beneficial to the cocoa trees, and 

 tides them over the first two or three years. The 

 temporary shade crop is, however, frequently allowed to 

 remain too long, and tall trees with small crowns are the 

 result. This, however, is the form of cocoa plantation 

 favoured by the natives, viz., trees with clean stems 8 ft. 

 or more long, the branches forming a thick canopy over- 

 head. The principal reason why this form of plantation 

 is favoured is because it allows the free progress of 

 carriers throughout the plantation in collecting the crop, 

 and from this standpoint it has a good deal to commend 

 it. On the other hand, the trees are generally planted 

 very closely together, and a corresponding overlapping 

 or matting of the roots in the soil must be taking place 

 which will sooner or later decrease the yield of the trees. 



It is when the plantation is coming into bearing for 

 the first time that it receives its first thorough clean up. 



The natives generally have not yet awakened to the 

 fact that the trees require other than the most meagre 

 attention. The result is that weeding is seldom practised 

 except for an occasional brushing with cutlasses, usually 

 just before the crop is ready to be gathered. Pruning 

 consists of the mere lopping off of branches in any hap- 

 hazard fashion. The harvesting of the crop and the 

 preparation of the beans is done in the crudest manner 

 possible, and the necessity for manuring the trees has 

 not yet occurred to the majority, and, worse still, the 

 appearance of diseases is not yet viewed with any appre- 

 hension, and seldom is any action taken to guard against 

 their inroads. 



All these matters, however, have been receiving the 



