24 CACAO 



as to correct them will afford him valuable experience, 

 especially if the work is carried on under reliable advice 

 as to what should be done to bring the estate under a 

 correct and scientific agricultural regime. It is highly 

 necessary that the planter should know, for instance, how 

 to apply correct treatment to badly wounded trees ; and 

 he cannot do better than learn it well under proper guidance 

 on his own estate. 



In no way is it suggested that the planter should purchase 

 an estate in which many drawbacks appear, but rather, 

 that he should not refuse a fairly advantageous offer 

 where they do appear, other points being favourable. 



It is important to carefully ascertain the character and 

 quality of the soil, and for this purpose samples should 

 be taken and submitted to careful mechanical and chemical 

 analysis, both qualitative and quantitative. It would 

 nevertheless be a grave error to assume that land fit for 

 the cultivation of cacao could be chosen by the results of 

 chemical analysis alone, for it is quite possible for land to 

 contain all the substances required for the growth of a 

 particular plant, and yet be totally unsuited to grow that 

 plant, owing to the materials being present in a form which 

 cannot be taken up by the roots. 



Sometimes the mechanical nature of the soil is quite as 

 important as its chemical constituents, and unless a 

 mechanical as well as a chemical analysis is made, its 

 suitability for the purpose cannot readily be ascertained. 

 Although these drawbacks exist, yet chemical analysis is 

 very useful, in fact essential, in securing a right judgment 

 on the suitability of land for any particular crop, but 

 taken alone it cannot be trusted. Whenever used, samples 

 should be taken with the greatest care from those parts 

 of the land which would give a fair average of the area 

 under examination. Unless this is done, chemical analysis 

 is not alone useless, but becomes positively misleading. 

 For instance, a planter takes a sample of soil from his field, 

 and brings it for analysis ; the chemist tells him it is good 

 and, rich in various constituents and excellent for the 



