S4 THE AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY OF CACAO. 



The samples from Grenada, St. Vincent and Demerara were 

 personally selected, whilst those from Trinidad and Nicaragua 

 were given to us and described as very fertile cacao soils by J. H. 

 Hart, Esq , F.L.S., the Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens, 

 Trinidad. With the exceptions of the Surinam, Demerara and 

 Trinidad samples, all are of soils arisin"; from the degradation 

 of lavas and volcanic debris, rich in soda lime felspars. As a 

 rule these fertile cacao soils are fairly rich in nitrogen, and 

 contain a somewhat high amount of potash, of which a relatively 

 high proportion was found to be soluble in 1% citric acid solution 

 whilst the proportion of phosphoric anhydride present appears to 

 be of lesser importance. They can, we consider, be safely 

 regarded as reliable types of the composition of really fertile 

 cocao soils. 



As far as present experience goes in the selection of good 

 reliable soils for cacao cultivation, if the physical conditions are 

 in accordance with those mentioned in a previous paragraph, the 

 most important point chemically is that the soil should contain 

 an ample supply of availablej potash, a fair supply of nitrogen 

 and a medium one of phosphoric anhydride and of lime, and 

 should have either from its^chemical composition or its physical 

 condition a marked retentive power for hygroscopic moisture. 

 On soils of this kind large and remunerative crops of cacao may 

 reasonably be expected even during seasons during which on 

 other lands crops may suffer from drought. 



In order to obtain reliable data as to the composition of 

 cacao grown under fairly favourable conditions at low elevations, 

 Charles Ros'^, Esq., of fin. Land of Canaan, Demerara River, 

 supplied us with a large nuraber^of freshly gathered ripe pods of 

 Cacao of two varieties : 1st, the small podded, thick, smooth 

 skinned variety with flat beans, known as Calabacillo ; and 2nd, 

 the lai'ge podded somewhat thick rough skinned variety with 

 full lounded beans, known as " Forastero." The former is the 

 variety agriculturally best suited for heavy lands, being the 

 hanliest of all varieties, and giving on low lying land, by far 

 heaier yields of cured Cacao than " Forastero'' does. In addi- 

 (tio/i we obtained from him cured beans of these varieties. 

 Mu. >y ofclier varieties are to be found growing in greater or less- 



