THE ROOT-SYSTEM OF COCOA TREES 27 



trees. Unless a cocoa tree has sufl&cient space to develop 

 its foliage properly its fruit-producing capacity must be 

 restricted. On the other hand, if an unnecessarily large 

 space be left between the trees the roots wiQ suffer by 

 the undue exposure of the soil to the sun, and the foliage 

 will be needlessly exposed to both wind and sun. Should 

 the cultivation of catch crops be objected to, the cocoa 

 trees might be planted much closer together than here 

 suggested. This would enable a much larger crop to 

 be gathered during the first few fruiting years of the 

 plantation, and alternate trees could be destroyed as 

 considered necessary. By the adoption of this plan the 

 ground would be well shaded, and the roots of the trees 

 would hold the soil together and prevent the excessive 

 wash-away which sometimes occurs on widely planted 

 estates where no catch crops are planted. In this 

 connection it is, however, important to bear in mind that 

 a cocoa tree often produces lateral roots 12 ft. long ; 

 the comparatively young tree shown in Plate 3 had 

 lateral roots 12 ft. long, with a tap-root 8 ft. deep in the 

 ground. 



Lining. — If the suggestions offered under the heading 

 " Plotting out the Plantation " have been adopted the 

 work of marking the points where the cocoa and shade 

 trees are to be planted will be a comparatively simple 

 matter. A surveying pole, or any other straight pole 

 about 8 ft. long, is placed at each corner of one of the 

 blocks ; then standing at one corner an assistant puts in 

 three or four poles approximately equidistant and in 

 a straight line between the two corner poles on one side 

 of the block. A surveying chain or a rope is used, marked 

 by means of coloured cloth or similar material at every 

 15 ft. — supposing this to be the distance apart the cocoa 

 trees are to be planted — and, starting from one of the 

 end poles, pegs are put in corresponding with the cloth 

 marks. This operation is repeated at the opposite side 

 of the block. By the same method pegs are placed 

 15 ft. apart between the first-placed peg on either side 

 of the block, and so on all through the block. If care be 

 taken to plant the cocoa trees as near as possible to the 

 points marked by the pegs they wiU be at a uniform 

 distance apart. The slightly additional labour which 

 lining involves is more than compensated for by the 



