46 THE GOLD COAST 



Buettneriece, under the name of Theobroma cacao of 

 Linnaeus. 



In the West Indies, from which the cultivation has 

 spread into several tropical countries, three fairly well- 

 marked varieties are recognised as commercially useful, 

 and these bear the local names of " Criollo," " Forastero," 

 and " Calabacillo." The first of these is said to be 

 identical with that occurring at Caracas, in Venezuela, 

 and is usually called by the name of that place when 

 exported from South America. The Criollo variety is 

 the source of some of the highest-priced produce, but 

 Forastero has some points in its favour for general culti- 

 vation, the chief of which appears to be greater hardi- 

 ness. For this reason it seems to have become easily 

 established in the islands of San Thom6 and Fernando 

 Po, where the sub-variety known as Amelonado is that 

 of general occurrence, and to have spread from there 

 to the mainland of West Africa. In Ceylon the Forastero 

 variety is also much grown in plantations. The third 

 variety, Calabacillo, yields an inferior product and does 

 not appear to have been introduced into the eastern 

 hemisphere.* 



Cocoa, as shipped from the plantations, is the dried 

 bean or seed, which has been removed from the fruit 

 pod of the tree, and may or may not have been fermented 

 before drying. The properly fermented seeds or beans 

 find more favour in European markets than those which 

 have not undergone the process, but it is chiefly in an 

 imperfectly fermented condition that cocoa beans are 

 exported from the Gold Coast. Attempts are being made 

 to alter this, so as to produce a better quality. 



Cocoa forms a very nutritious food, and beverage after 

 preparation by the manufacturer, entering the markets 

 in a manufactured form under the names of cocoa or 

 chocolate. No native manufacture is employed in the 

 Gold Coast, although cocoa butter has been extracted 

 on a small scale at Odumase. 



The following account is that which is generally ac- 

 cepted regarding the first introduction of the tree into 



* Hinchley Hart, in Cacao, 1892, pp. 48-52, discusses the three 

 varieties mentioned here, and shows that intermediate forms exist 

 which connect all throe. The Forastero class includes all the cocoas 

 which have thick skins and large pods with rather fiat beans. 



