33 
It will be noticed that these trees are for protection main- 
ly, although they furnish some food for the cacao trees 
as well. 
Of commercial crops for wind protection the Central 
American rubber, 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. 
While the cacao trees are small something more than wind 
breaks are needed and it is common practice to grow food 
crops such as corn, casava, malanga or tannias, castor oil, 
bananas etc. These plants thrive nearly everywhere and 
they are usually planted between the rows of cacao the first 
three or four years. This has certain advantages and also 
many disadvantages. It is desirable from an immediate 
economic standpoint for the reason that the yield is often 
enough to pay for the upkeep of the plantation. On the 
other hand it is soil robbery the way it is conducted and 
the plantation may suffer from the effects of it forever 
after. It is never good economy to take more out of a 
soil than what is returned to it immediately, and in grow- 
ing the economic crops a part of the year leguminous crops 
should be planted alternately and worked in so as to sup- 
ply the kumus and the nitrogen lost in growing the other 
crops. 
Of mineral plant foods enough may be available in virgin 
land the first few years but of course in removing crops 
continually they will finally be exhausted. 
Of smaller leguminous plants there are a number which 
thrive well-in most islands but most of them are too small 
to be of value for shade or wind protection for the cacao. 
