8 COCOA 



CHAP. 



first cocoa plants were imported in 1780. In the first 

 half of the nineteenth century the export was not 

 very important, and it was only about forty years 

 ago that a remarkable extension of the cultivation 

 took place. 



While the " old " cocoa countries are to be found 

 in South and Central America Mexico, Venezuela, 

 Trinidad and other Antilles, Ecuador, Surinam, and 

 Haiti, together with some of more recent importance, 

 such as Brazil (especially the State of Bahia), San 

 Domingo, and Jamaica in Africa and Asia only 

 " young " cocoa countries are to be found. The most 

 important of these are San Thome, the Gold Coast, 

 Ceylon, and Java. 



In San Thome, the fourth most important cocoa- 

 growing country, which now exports not less than 

 34 million kilograms per annum, the cultivation of 

 cocoa was only begun in 1870. It is true that the first 

 cocoa was planted much earlier (in 1822), but up till 

 1870 the industry was of no importance, the export in 

 the latter year amounting only to 44,000 kilograms. 

 Twenty-five years later, in 1895, the export had already 

 reached the important figure of 7 million kilograms, 

 and sixteen years later it amounted to 34 million 

 kilograms. 



The growth of cocoa on the Gold Coast has been 

 still more remarkable. The first shipment was made 

 in 1891 only 40 kilograms; twenty years later, in 

 1911, the export amounted to 40 million kilograms. 

 This great increase is the more interesting because in 

 the Gold Coast the cocoa is only cultivated on small 

 plantations. 



The cocoa now grown in Ceylon is most probably to 

 a great extent descended from the plants obtained from 

 Trinidad by Sir R. Horton in 1834-5, and also from 

 varieties imported in 1880 from the same place. A few 

 plants must have been present on the island before 

 1834; at any rate the Botanical Garden contained 

 some specimens. The first, but very small, export took 



