38 CACAO 



labour the use of the land for the purpose of growing 

 annual crops of provisions, pliis a fixed price per tree, to 

 be paid him at the end of five or six years, when the cacao- 

 trees begin to bear, and the land becomes useless for 

 gardening purposes. For many years this system has 

 been generally adopted in the island of Trinidad, and it is 

 still in vogue. In 1889 an Ordinance or Law was passed 

 controlling such contracts, each contract having to be 

 signed before the magistrate of the district. The sum to 

 be paid per tree varies in accordance with the situation 

 and the supply of labour, but generally ranges from 15 

 cents to 25 cents per tree, or a little more. 



Although this system is " cheapest and easiest " it cannot 

 be held that it is by any means satisfactory ; and it is 

 better for the planter if circumstances permit, to establish 

 an estate under his own immediate guidance. The cacao- 

 planter would be well advised, however, in his own interest, 

 to set about such work in a similar manner to that adopted 

 by fruit farmers in planting their orchards ; as he must use 

 methods identical with those adopted by the fruit cultivator 

 if he wishes to become the possessor of a first-class estate. 

 He must plant carefully on scientific lines, and plant 

 nothing else but selected trees, which will give him high- 

 class produce. 



By the contract system the character of a crop cannot 

 be otherwise than very much mixed, and must, therefore, 

 be of less value than crops obtained from selected trees 

 producing high-class cacao. 



One of the greatest disadvantages of planting by the 

 contract system, is the possibility of having no great care 

 exercised in selecting the seed for producing plants. The 

 peasant's interest is to get the trees to grow, and he knows 

 well that the inferior varieties are hardier than those which 

 produce the finest cacao ; consequently there is great 

 temptation for him to use the seed of inferior varieties for 

 planting. This may be obviated by the planter supplying 

 the seed or the plants, but even then it is not always 

 possible or convenient to supervise properly the planting 



