92 



THE AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY OF CACAO. 



The fruit of Calabacillo contained less water but distinctly 

 more nitrogen, potash and phosphoric anhydride than that of 

 Forastero. The kernels of the beans of Calabacillo were dis- 

 tinctly richer in the alkaloids, also in astringent matter and in. 

 cacao-red than were those of Forastero, the result being that the 

 beans of the former variety were of a harsher, more astringent 

 flavour than those of the latter. The beans of the two varieties 

 showed but little difference in their contents of fat, but those of 

 Forastero were of higher contents of starch and sugars. In 

 the cuticles and pulp from Calabacillo there were found somewhat 

 lesser amounts both of the alkaloids and of starch and sugars than 

 in those from Forastero. In the husks of both varieties small 

 amounts of theobromine less than 1 per cent, were found, but no 

 caffeine, which was present in small quantities in the kernels and 

 cuticles of both varieties, was found in either. But little 

 difference existed in the husks of both varieties in their contents 

 of nitrogen and phosphoric anhydride, but those of Calabacillo 

 contained the higher proportion of potash. When, however, 

 the higher proportion of husk in the fruit of Forastero are taken 

 It appears that this variety returns more nitrogen, more phos- 

 phoric anhydride and but little less potash to the soil in the 

 waste husks than does an equal weight of the fruit of Calaba- 

 cillo. But it requires double the weight of fruit of Forastero 

 than of Calabacillo to produce an equal weight of cured cacao, 

 hence the return to the soil by the husks is more than twice as 

 great in the case of the former than that of the latter. 



Assuming that the average yield here of the variety Cala- 

 bacillo is 250 Ibs. and that of Forastero 150 Ibs. of cured cacao 

 per acre respectively, we find that the amounts of the con- 

 stituents of plant food removed from the land annually in the 

 whole fruit, returned to the soil in the husks and either sold in 

 the cured cacao or lost in the sweatings from the fermenting 

 boxes are as follows : 



POUNDS PER ACRE PER ANNUM. 



