26 
eround water the surface water must be considered. A soil 
may be all that could be desired_in other respects but if 
it is flat and low in relation to the surrounding territory it 
may be unfit because it cannot be drained. 
The top soil containing decayed vegetable matter is also 
of more importance than most planters realize, which will 
be further discussed under fertilizing, but it may be well 
to emphasize at this point that most of the so called worn- 
out soils in the West Indies are simply deficient in humus 
and available plant food. Such soils may be reclaimed, just 
as poorly drained soils may be drained and dry soils irri- 
gated, but all of these things cost money and this should 
be carefully considered when selecting the land. 
The majority of cacao plantations are situated in valleys 
and on mountain sides which is undoubtedly due to the fact 
that such situations are the natural home of the tree. But 
along with the choice of the natural situation the old planter 
also adopted the natural methods of cultivation, or rather 
he planted in such a way that nature would take care of the 
cultivation. In such old plantations the soil is in a most 
deplorable condition today, especially on the mountain sides 
where all of the humus has been washed away. 
Cacao is of course grown on flat land also, and where 
the conditions are favorable it has many advantages. There 
has however, been many mistakes made in selecting loca- 
tions on the plains, and it may be well to call attention to 
the folly of starting on a worn out cane land or on poor 
sandy soil or on hard clay soil or on a wind-swept plain 
where it would be difficult to furnish adequate wind pro- 
tection. It is true that such land can be improved and made 
to produce cacao or any other crop but it should certainly 
not be planted until such improvements have been made. 
