64 COCOA 



at the back of the meaning is resignation to an evil 

 against which even the fetich man cannot supply a 

 juju (charm). Here is a fuller translation of " San- 

 kouabi " : We can't fight against fate, so when this evil 

 spirit attacks our cocoa-trees, let him do his worst, and if 

 worst comes to the worst we will go back to collecting the 

 fruit of oil palms, the trees which the good spirits cause 

 to grow wild in abundance in our forests and to yield a 

 crop which we can easily exchange for chop and cloth. 



BIG BUG. A particularly deadly enemy, which makes 

 black punctures that distort the pods. Fortunately 

 it has not so far become a prevalent danger in the Gold 

 Coast and Ashanti. 



Other pests in this part of the cocoa growing world 

 are squirrels, rats, and bush deer. 



The cocoa-tree was introduced into the Gold Coast 

 by a native of the colony. Previous to its introduction 

 the people of that country had no agricultural know- 

 ledge^or experience other than what they had gained by 

 growing food for themselves, and their crops were of 

 the temporary kind known as annuals. By taking up 

 the cultivation of cocoa they made their first attempt 

 to establish a permanent crop, which for such a people 

 was a revolutionary enterprise and a big stride towards 

 progressive civilization. 



With our own eyes we have seen something of the 

 astounding success with which that enterprise has been 

 pursued. Here, briefly summarized in figures, is the 

 record of achievements : The first export of cocoa beans 

 from the Gold Coast was in 1891, and the total ship- 

 ment was 80 Ibs. ; the total had risen to 960 tons by 

 1901, to figures which eclipsed those of any other 

 country in the world by 1911, and to 90,964 tons by 

 1 91 7. The estimated output for 1 91 9 was 1 80,000 tons . 



