342 COCOA 



CHAP. 



Jamaica, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, and Surinam 

 for export to America and Europe ; of the plantains 

 the so-called " Jumbi plantain" is preferred. 



Of the tania different varieties are used, of which 

 Olivieri l gives a review. The "giant" or "plantain 

 tania " is one of the most common. Of this variety 

 the tubers become developed and good for reaping at 

 the end of ten to twelve months after planting ; some 

 seven tubers are then produced measuring 3 to 7 inches 

 in length. 



By exposing, however, and breaking off the tubers without 

 rooting or digging out the plant, which process is called " castrat- 

 ing," two or three crops yearly can be reaped during the second 

 and third years after planting, each plant giving an average yield 

 of thirty pounds of tubers, provided after each digging the parent 

 rhizome is moulded up and covered with the removed and sur- 

 rounding earth to a height nearing the last internode below the 

 leaf-stalk. 2 



In Trinidad the cocoa plants and the permanent 

 shade trees are planted at the same time. For this 

 purpose no other trees are used than two Erythrinas 

 (" immortelles "), namely, for the low lands'the " Bocare " 

 or " Bocare Pinon " (Erythrina velutina), and for the 

 higher lands the " Anauca " or " Nauclero " (Erythrina 

 umbrosa). 



The " Bocare " is closely related to the " Koffiemama " 

 of Surinam (Erytlirina glauca). Both have the same 

 appearance, and form a large and rather dense foliage 

 system. The leaf is composed of three leaflets, which 

 are not very large, about 10 to 12 cm. long and 6 

 to 8 cm. broad. But the leaflets of the "Bocare" 

 (E. velutina) are slightly hairy on the under surface, 

 while those of E. glauca are glabrous. The bark of 

 the "Bocare" is rather smooth and provided with 

 pointed nipple -like thorns (pinones), more or less 

 scattered along the trunk and the lower portions of the 

 branches. It is an easy grower, succeeding in all sorts 

 of soil, also in stiff clay and in soils where the drainage 



1 Olivieri, Treatise, p. 44. 2 I.e. p. 45. 



