COCOA-GROWING COUNTRIES 453 



this manipulation is generally very successful, the trees 

 appearing to appreciate the loosening of the stiff clay 

 soil ; sometimes the planter only forks the weak trees 

 in his different fields. It would be too expensive to fork 

 the whole plantation. Generally no tillage at all is done. 



Weeding is done two to four times a year accord- 

 ing to the amount of shade. When the cocoa trees 

 are full-grown and not planted too widely, the soil 

 is so shaded that weeding twice a year is sufficient. 

 In rainy months, especially in May and June, the 

 weeds grow very quickly ; in the dry season, however 

 September, October, November the fields may be left 

 unweeded for longer time. 



In the most critical years of the witch-broom disease 

 (1904-1905), planters had to be as economical as 

 possible, the receipts being very small. In those years 

 weeding as well as the other labour was reduced as 

 much as possible, and the fields remained often half a 

 year and longer in high weeds. When these weeds 

 were of the "soft" or "harmless" sort and these 

 weeds are always prevalent on good soil under sufficient 

 shade the harm done was indeed much less than 

 would be expected, and it was apparent how hardy 

 a plant cocoa is and with what little care it will 

 grow when soil and climate are suitable. On soils, 

 however, where " hard " or " noxious " weeds (grasses, 

 etc.) were prevalent for instance on places with little 

 shade the bad effect of too little weeding was very 

 apparent. 



The heavy rains wash away earth and fallen leaves 

 from the beds into the small trenches ; every year a 

 certain number of them have to be cleaned and deepened. 

 Also the main trench has to be cleaned from water- 

 weeds, which prevent the free flowing of the water 

 when the sluice is open for drainage, and which make 

 also the navigation with boats and little open punts 

 difficult. 



Pruning is considered by some planters to be 

 absolutely necessary ; many, however, do not remove 



