120 COCOA 



CHAP. 



when they are five years old. The cocoa trees in each 

 row are finally 24 feet apart, while the rows are 12 

 feet apart (Fig. 44). 



In Java the author has seen Castilloa successfully 

 used as an inter-crop (Fig 45). The cocoa trees were 

 planted 18 feet apart, the Castilloa 36 feet apart; in 

 some fields the distances are smaller, the cocoa 12 or 15 

 feet apart and Castilloa 24 or 30, but speaking generally 

 this is not to be recommended. 



Planting distance. The planting distance varies 

 in the different countries to a great extent, and in every 

 country conflicting opinions are met with as to the 

 best distance. This is not to be wondered at, as every 

 condition which influences the growth of cocoa e.g. 

 the kind of soil, the drainage, the climate, and not 

 least the shade influences also the solution of the 

 problem of distance. 



Speaking generally, it may be said that the distance 

 should be chosen so that a little less space will be 

 given to each tree than is required for its full develop- 

 ment. This general rule may at first sight be con- 

 sidered illogical, as it would naturally be expected that 

 the distance should at any rate be chosen so that a 

 full development of each tree is possible. This would 

 be the case if cocoa were cultivated as an ornamental 

 tree, when full development would be essential. It 

 would also be the case if it were a tree which needed 

 a great amount of sunlight to give its highest yield of 

 blossoms and fruit as, for instance, the orange, the 

 mango and many other fruit trees. In those cases 

 each tree has to have sufficient space for the entry of 

 the maximum amount of sunlight. The cocoa tree, 

 however, has not these requirements, and forms its 

 flowers and develops its fruits well even in shady 

 positions. 



It would therefore be uneconomic to plant the trees 

 at distances so as to allow a quite free development, 

 for in this way the highest return per acre would not 

 be obtained. The yield of each tree is not lower 



