THE CUBA REVIEW 



19 



continue to grow where those not protected would suffer. Where irrigation is available 

 the cacao tree may bear good crops even though the air be dry, provided the plantation 

 is adequately protected from the wind. 



Some planters say that shade is not necessary except for the first three to four 

 years, and others say that shade is absolutely necessary, not alone for the young, but for 

 the older trees. Nevertheless, it is not probable that, under the same conditions, a 

 cacao tree needs a radically different treatment in other countries from what it 

 does in Cuba. 



Again, cacao is propagated almost entirely from seed, and until a few years ago, it 

 was thought that it could be propagated in no other way. The seeds are sometimes taken 

 from the best pods of the most vigorous or prolific trees, but often no such selection 

 is made, and it is difficult to find a plantation in the Oriente section of Cuba in which 

 all the types, varieties and intermediate strains are not grown side by side. On account 

 of this promiscuous planting, it is very difficult to secure seeds today of good type. 



In grafting and budding a cut is then made in one side of the seedlings with a 

 sharp knife, removing a thin slice of wood with the adhering bark, from three to five 

 inches long. A similar cut is made on a branch of the tree of the same size as the 

 seedlings and the two cut surfaces placed together so that the bark of one touches 

 the bark of the other; on one side at least, if they are not exactly the same size. They 

 are then tied together with soft twine or raffia, and also tied to a stake in such a 

 manner that the wind cannot swing them back and forth and thereby prevent them 

 from growing together. The only tool needed is a thin bladed knife, sharp as a razor, 

 with which to cut the bud, and some soft yam raffia or tape with which to wrap the 

 bud after it is inserted. It is especially necessary to be careful in cutting the bud so 

 that it is smooth and straight. A ragged bud torn off or cut with a dull knife will 

 not unite. 



In planting trees from bamboo pots, the pit soil should be moistened to prevent 

 it from crumbling, and the bamboo should be split open, leaving a cylindrical ball of 

 earth containing the plant. This should be set in a hole, previously prepared without 

 breaking it or in any way exposing the roots. The plant should never be set without 

 removing the bamboo as that does not decay readily even when imbedded in the soil. 

 Immediately after the planting, whether seed or nursery trees, the surrounding soil 

 should be covered with a thick layer of grass or weeds raked up on the ground. This 

 will preserve the moisture and prevent the growth of weeds close to the plant. It is 

 also good practice to place a couple of palm leaves on the southeast side of the plant 

 to protect them from the hot rays of the sun, until the surrounding plants become 

 tall enough to give the necessary protection. 



The shade trees are the Erythinas, the Gliricidia Maculata is another tree fre- 

 quently used, and this is also called the Madie de Cacao (Mother of cacao) as adapted 

 by the Spanish people in Central and South America. Pethecolibium Samen, the 

 Samen or Quango, as it is called, is also frequently used by the cacao planters in Cuba. 



The Central American Rubber tree (Castilloa Elastica) has been suggested, and it 

 may be used for wind belts wherever it grows fast enough. It will not be satisfactory 

 in all places, however, and it will probably never be satisfactory if planted alone, because 

 it needs wind protection itself the first few years of its growth. 



Cacao is seldom cultivated in some parts of Cuba in the sense in which that term 

 is usually applied. In many plantations the cultivation consists entirely in cutting the 

 weeds with machetes (cutlasses), although the more progressive planters fork the soil 

 occasionally. Such a thing as plowing and cultivation in a cacao plantation in this 

 island is practically unknown. This is of course natural in view of the methods em- 

 ployed. It would be impossible to plow land full of stumps and roots, and by the time 

 these obstructions have disappeared, the soil could be plowed without doing great 

 injury to the roots of the cacao trees. In new plantations planted on level land and 

 with the trees planted 20 feet apart, the conditions are different. The soil may be 

 plowed and cultivated year after year. In such plantations it is good practice to plant 



