200 COCOA 



CHAP. VI 



years ago. 1 For if the yield per acre was, say, 260 

 kilograms, and the yield per hectare accordingly 650 

 kilograms, the export would have been about 39 million 

 kilograms. The export, however, never reached any 

 such high figure. With an area of 60,000 hectares and 

 an export of about 22 million kilograms (in 1907) the 

 average yield would be 366 kilograms per hectare or 

 147 kilograms per acre. These figures show how 

 little we know about the average production of cocoa 

 even in one of the most important cocoa - growing 

 countries. 



As regards Brazil nothing at all is known. 



In the case of Ecuador the well-know r n authority, 

 H> Mr. M. E. Seminario, estimates the average yield for 

 Arriba" to be about 500 kilograms per hectare or 200 

 1 kilograms per acre, and to be a little higher for the 

 Guayas and El Oro. The statistical figures agree fairly 

 well with this estimate, the acreage being about 45,500 

 hectares and the yearly average export in the last three 

 years 27 million kilograms. This gives an average 

 yield per annum of about 600 kilograms per hectare or 

 240 kilograms per acre. 



All the above figures are intended only to give an 

 impression as to the yield of cocoa which is generally 

 obtained. It need hardly be said that the yield depends 

 greatly upon circumstances richness of the soil, climate, 

 manuring, cultivation, presence or absence of serious 

 diseases, etc. The influence of manuring has already 

 been demonstrated. The influence of. climate is especially 

 clear from the fact that in consecutive years the crops 

 are widely different ; and the effect of the mode of 

 cultivating or the influence of diseases on the crop needs 

 no further explanation. It is, therefore, very difficult 

 o state a general average, but, speaking generally, we 

 y call 200 kilograms per acre a normal yield, 100 

 +* kilograms a poor one, and 300 kilograms a high yield. 



1 Estimate of Mr. de Almada Negreiros ; see Chevalier, Lc Cacaoyer dans 

 V Quest africain, 1908, note 2 on p. 38. 



