CHAPTER III 



CACAO, Theobronia Cacao 



Habitat of 

 the tree. 



Description 

 of the tree. 



Trinidad 

 cacao. 



The cacao tree is a native of the forests of Central 

 America, and species of it are said to have been found wild 

 in Jamaica, Martinique and South America. Nearly the 

 whole of the cacao produced in the world comes from Cen- 

 tral and South America and the West Indies, and it is only of 

 recent years that the tree has been cultivated in Ceylon and 

 other parts of the tropics of the old world. The tree, grow- 

 ing in a good soil, when left to itself will reach a height of 

 20 or 30 feet, and spread out to an extent of 10 feet or more 

 on each side. At the height of a few feet from the ground 

 it sends out from three to six lateral branches, without any 

 sign of a leading stem, and it is only when the branches are 

 matured that a leader springs out from the side and not from 

 the centre of these branches. The flowers are small, and 

 they come off in a bunch from the stem or the larger 

 branches, at the place where a leaf formerly existed. It 

 is very rarely that more than one of the flowers develops 

 into fruit, and thus many more flowers are borne on the 

 trees than fruit pods. 



Varieties. — There are many varieties of cacao, as is 

 usually the case when fruit trees are cultivated ; and, in all 

 cacao countries, there are doubtless to be found distinct 

 races produced by differences of soil, climate, and other 

 influences. Not very long ago, Mr. Hart, the Super- 



