420 COCOA 



CHAP. 



pen-manure, ground-nut refuse, rice-straw or another 

 manure of this kind, which makes the system expensive. 

 It is still a dubious question whether the interplanting 

 of Castilloa is advantageous or not ; for the yield of 

 this rubber tree is small (probably not more than 50 gr. 

 or 1/10 Ibs. per tree). Much depends on the market 

 price of rubber. 



The planting distance is different on some estates. 

 In many cases a good system is 24 x 24 feet for 

 Castilloa and 12 x 18 for cocoa. 



Another plant which is often seen in the cocoa fields, 

 sometimes only in one or two rows along the roads, is 

 the nutmeg (Fig. 117). 



The kapok tree is often used as a support for the 

 pepper plant (Fig. 118). 



In this way the cocoa fields have often become a 

 sort of " mixtum compositum " of different crops. We 

 may find combined numerous crops such as cocoa, 

 coffee, kapok, nutmeg, and pepper, and sometimes 

 Castilloa, and in such a case the Java planter is not quite 

 wrong when he calls his plantation " a grocer's shop." 

 On one of the estates the fields are all surrounded by 

 kola trees as wind-breaks. This tree is quite suitable 

 for the purpose, and the nuts pay well, but it has the 

 drawback of being attacked by the cocoa-moth. 



Manuring is sometimes omitted on rich soils. But 

 on most plantations the soils have been cultivated 

 with coffee during many years, and it is no longer 

 possible to obtain a satisfactory growth without 

 manuring. Where pen -manure is available, this is 

 always used. It is generally an inferior sort, bought 

 from the people. If enough can be had, two kerosene 

 tins are given every year to each cocoa tree (one tin 

 contains about 30 kilograms of manure). 



Most of the estates use only pen-manure, some 

 others pen-manure and ash, others again use ground-nut 

 cake or kapok cake, or both together. 



On one estate the manager has solved the difficulty 

 of obtaining a good humus-affording manure by culti- 



