

COCOA-GROWING COUNTRIES 313 



export increased rapidly. While in 1869 there were 

 only 64 owners of " rogas " or " fazendas " (estates), this 

 number amounted to 153 in 1872, and to 495 in 1898. l 



Some plantations are very large, and employ as 

 many as 1500 labourers. 



The following figures 2 show the growth of the 

 export of cocoa from San Thome and Principe from 

 1870: 



1870 

 1895 

 1896 

 1897 

 1898 

 1899 

 1900 

 1901 

 1902 

 1903 



Kilog. 



20,496,000 

 25,669,300 

 24,619,600 

 24,194,600 

 28,560,300 

 30,261,000 

 36,664,800 

 35,000,000 

 35,500,000 



The abolition of slavery in 1875 tended to retard 

 for a time the development of agriculture. 



A trial was first made with free labourers from the 

 Cape Verde islands, but this was soon abandoned, 

 Then Chinese from Macao and Timor were tried, but 

 it was found that the mortality amongst them was 

 very great and that they showed little aptitude for 

 agriculture. Finally, people from the coast of Angola 

 were taken into service under contract. 



The arrangement of the estates. There are three 

 classes of plantations : 



(1) The first are those belonging to free natives; 

 they are generally smaller than five hectares (about 12 

 acres). The owner lives on his plantation, working it 

 himself with his family, and little care is bestowed on 

 the cultivation. 



Several cocoa seeds are sown in one hole, the 

 distance of one group of trees from another being often 

 less than 1*50 m. (4f feet). Pruning and manuring 

 are wholly neglected, but the shells of the cocoa-pods 



1 Ferreira Ribeiri, A provincia San Thom6 e Principe. Lisbon, 1877. 

 2 Gordian, 1911-13. 



