COCOA FLOWERS AND FRUITS 9 



at these points as is shown in Plate 7. Flowers may 

 be found on the trees throughout the year, but the 

 greatest number are usually present about six months 

 antecedent to the principal crop season. As many as 

 27,000 flowers have been found upon a tree at one time, 

 but the average number produced by a single tree per 

 year is approximately 6,000. The average number 

 of fruits which a healthy cocoa tree matures per year is 

 approximately seventy, so that only about 1 per cent, 

 of the flowers yields mature fruits. 



Cocoa flowers are so constructed that outside aid 

 appears to be essential for pollination. Uzel, who 

 investigated this subject in Ceylon, came to the con- 

 clusion that they are solely pollinated by thrips, and 

 that these insects occurred more abundantly in sunlight 

 than in shade. Many other insects are doubtlessly 

 instrumental in this connection in other countries where 

 thrips are not plentiful. 



Five or six months usually elapse between floration 

 and fruit maturation. The beans are arranged in the 

 fruits in five longitudinal rows ; ten beans may be 

 traced in each row, but rarely more than forty-five 

 properly developed beans are found. 



Dimensions of the Flowers and Fruits of Different Varieties. 

 The size, weight, and form of the fruits vary consider- 

 ably in different varieties. The writer obtained the 

 under-mentioned averages by examining one hundred 

 fruits of each of five of the varieties illustrated in Plates 

 1 and 2. 



