T H E C U B A R E V I E W 29 



PRACTICAL CACAO PLANTING SUGGESTIONS 



By W. M. Malins-Smith, in the IVest India Circular, London. 



In planting from bamboo pots, the method of placing pot as well as plant in the hole 

 cannot be highly recommended, for the pot does not rot quickly enough, and the roots of 

 the supply are cramped for too long a period. The bamboo pot can be split at the hole 

 and the plant easily removed with the earth adhering firmly to the roots if the precaution 

 is taken of freely watering the nursery a few hours before planting out. 



A cacao field in Grenada is generally weeded once in three or four months ; three months 

 for the more open spaces and fields where young cacao is growing; and at longer intervals 

 for the bearing well-shaded fields. Weeds are not allowed, however, to remain around 

 young plants for so long, and a system of hand-weeding a space of about eighteen inches 

 radius around the plant about six weeks after each weeding is generally practiced. If the 

 weeds came up very fast before the next weeding, the plants are hand-weeded again a 

 few days before the general weeding of the field, so that the weeders may have no excuse 

 for carelessly damaging the young plants. The hand-weeding is a most important work, 

 for weeds art the greatest enemy to young cacao, especially vines and grasses. 



Light forkitig around the young plant once a year and a wider area each time will 

 tend to keep the soil in good tilth; will tend to make the plant root more deeply; and 

 will serve as a mulch during the dry season, especially if it is done im'mediately this 

 season begins. It is best, however, and pays best to fork the whole field, as the catch 

 crops will also benefit and they will give better crops to help pay the cost of establishing 

 the cacao. 



All weedings, dead leaves, straw and old banana stems should be "bedded" or buried 

 near the surface at least once a year, or better still as often as the field is weeded. This 

 adds considerably to the maintenance of a good tilth and to the fertility of the soil. It 

 has been fully realized in Grenada that the more the soil is tilled while the cacao is young, 

 the better will be the field of bearing cacao in the future. 



As most of the cacao soil in Grenada is comparatively heavy, and as this is the stage 

 when the soil should be worked up into good tilth, an application of lime at the rate of 

 one ton to one ton and a half per acre, or one and a half to two hogsheads, would be 

 beneficial and have a quickening effect on all the plants in the field. The lime not only 

 breaks up the heavy portions of the soil, but it also neutralizes any sourness that may be 

 in it, and renders available a large amount of unavailable plant food in the soil. 



The field should be drained thoro'Ughly before planting or as soon as possible after. 

 There is nothing, not even bush, that retards the growth of young cacao so much as 

 undrained water in the soil. The thorough draining of a field of young cacao, even with- 

 out forking and manuring, makes a wonderful difference in its appearance. 



As regards shade it has been conclusively proved in Grenada that the soil and not the 

 cacao tree must be shaded. Young cacao plants up to bearing stage cannot shade the soil, 

 therefore temporary shade must be provided so that the soil be thoroughly shaded and 

 at the same time the young plants also in a lesser degree. To encompass these ends it is 

 wise to have two kinds of catch crops planted between the young cacao ; one being tall- 

 growing and the other short, one that will shade both plant and soil, and one that will 

 shade the soil only. The banana (Musa sapientum) is the best tall growing shade, 

 and should always be planted, for its shade is permanent throughout the whole period 

 of the growth of the young cacao. Tannias (Colocasia escitlenta) and sweet potato 

 (Ipo)nea batata) make excellent short growing shade for the soil. 



A cacao tree up to the age of eighteen mouths consists of a straight upright stem with 

 leaves growing out horizontally. About that age it forms at its summit three or more 

 branches which do not spread horizontally but at a more or less upward angle, three of 

 which only should be allowed to develop and the others removed. 



Xext appear one or more suckers immediately below the point from which the tree has 

 branched. These are nothing more or less than an e.xtra stem for adding to the height 

 of the tree; and if allowed to remain the sucker will repeat the formation of the lower 

 stem and branches. As it is not desirable that the tree should attain too great a height, 

 the sucker is removed as soon as it appears; and the tree is able to devote all its energies 

 in developing the three primary branches. 



After a time, secondary branches are formerl and of these the superal)un(lant ones are 

 removed, so that the others may develop better. And so the process continues with the 

 tertiary branches until the tree has arrived at full development. The developing process 

 continues till long after the tree begins to produce fruit. A well cared for cacao tree 

 will continue to develop till it is twelve years old ; whereas it may bear fruit at three or 

 four years. 



