CHAPTER 11. 

 Selection of Seed— N ufseries. 



fACAOhaiS hitherto been ia variably raised froia; 

 seed by the planter. The seed possesses but a 

 short life, if exposed to dry air : if kept in a 

 moist situation, fermentation quickly sets in and 

 it becomes useless! It ia thus very difficult 

 to transport Cacao seed to distant countries, or 

 ' to keeJD it for any length of time, uniess placed 

 under conditions favourable to germination. Cacao may be 

 SBnt in ripe pods for short journeys not exceeding 12 or 11 days, 

 if the pods are kept entire and without bruises, and well packed.. 

 A good method of transpprting seeds to a distance is to piano 

 them in vYardian cases and allow them to germinate on thfr 

 voyage. 



For nursery purposes seed of the best quality should be 

 «sed, the largest beans should be selected, and care taken to 

 procure them from well ripened pods. It is a great mistake to 

 use seed of inferior varieties or that taken from half ripe pods 

 and from trees in indiOerent health. This applies to all varieties. 

 Some trees are better bearers than others, some produce 

 finer pods, and the choice, for seed purposes, should rest 

 upon those which produce fine large pods, good beans, and bear- 

 regular crops. In the vegetable kingdom as a rule, like pro- 

 duces like ; yet it is well known that variations do occur, and ib 

 is certain that the chances of procui'ing a good class of plants 

 from .seed are in favour of the course recommended, rather than 

 by pi-ocu,ring seeds from the refuse pods of a plantation and 

 •expect good results to follow. 



Seed should also be taken from trees situated at a distance 

 from inferior varieties, for the purpose of avoiding a-; far as. 

 possible lilt) variation which will naturally occur, wiiere cross. 

 fertiliTlation is free to take place , for if poor varieties are near- 

 to the seed trees, the latter will most certainly pioduce a variety- 

 having .some of the characieis of the pooler kinds blended \iitli 

 its o^n. . . 



Too much attention cannot be paid to vhe se ection of a 

 pnper quality of seedj -if 'it is the planter's aim to improve the 

 ijuuiity and quantity of his productions. 



