42 CACAO 



a kind which are readily saleable, and of a character least 

 exhausting to the land. 



There have been many proposals of late years for 

 planting leguminous plants among cacao, with the view 

 of affording nitrogen to the soil, but as the question will 

 be dealt with under the head of manuring, it is only 

 mentioned here. 



The first method of planting described is that in most 

 common use, and excellent returns have been made by 

 estates planted under the system. The second is a slight 

 improvement on the first, and the third or that of planting 

 of selected strains is clearly the system which allows of the 

 greatest progress, and promises better results than either 

 of the others, as it is an improvement on both, both in 

 yield and in quality. 



A form of planting at stake may be effected by planting 

 at once a Moko, or Gros Michel,* at the exact distance 

 apart the cacao is intended to be, and sowing in or near 

 the banana stool the three seeds ; the banana stool will, 

 with the intermediate shade crops, give quite sufficient 

 protection to the young seedling, and the costly process of 

 staking with " pickets " is avoided, but the lines are seldom 

 so straight when planting this way as they are when staked 

 with " pickets " in the first instance. 



After planting is complete, the necessary field-work will 

 consist in " weeding," " cutlassing," or cleaning between 

 the young cacao or shade plants, and in giving individual 

 attention to each cacao-tree and its attendant shade both 

 temporary and permanent. Weeding and cutlassing should 

 be done as soon as seen to be ^required, especially at start- 

 ing ; for it is evidently false economy to spend money in 

 planting and then allow plants to be killed out with weeds 

 for want of attention. It is also important to begin work 

 soon enough ; or before the gangs can get through, the 

 plants may be so much overgrown as to cause damage. 



The after-cultivation, i.e. weeding or cutlassing of a 

 cacao estate after the trees are in bearing is a work which 

 * Varieties of bananas or plantains, 



