CHAPTER II 



SOME ILLUSTEATIONS OF PODS 



The illustrations facing pages 14, 16, and on page 17 

 show several typical varieties of the well-known Theo- 

 broma cacao, namely, Trinidad CrioUo (Fig. 7) ; Trinidad 

 Forastero (Fig. 8) ; Trinidad Amelonado (Fig. 9) ; Trinidad 

 Calabacillo (Fig. 10); Venezuelan CrioUo (Fig. 11); and 

 Nicaraguan CrioUo (Fig. 12). The pods of three other dis- 

 tinct species are seen in Fig. 13, Theobroma pentagona, or 

 Alligator Cacao ; Fig. 14. Theobroma bicolor, or Tiger or 

 Wariba Cacao ; and Fig. 15. Theobroma angustifolia, or 

 Mono or Monkey Cacao. 



Fig. 7. Trinidad Criollo is a form of Theobroma 

 Cacao, showing a distinct " bottle-necked " pod, rounded 

 oblong beans having a white or straw-coloured interior, 

 outer walls of the pods thin and easily penetrated, and 

 colour either red or yellow.* 



Fig. 8. Trinidad Forastero veraguso is to be taken 

 as showing the Trinidad type. There is a large amount 

 of variation in form, grading from Criollo on the one 

 hand to Amelonado on the other. Some forms are known 

 having the pod walls over an inch in thickness while others 

 approach the Criollo type of thin-skinned pods, and take 

 on to a small degree the bottle-necked form usual in that 

 variety. 



Fig. 9. Trinidad Forastero amelonado in the down- 

 ward scale, is intermediate between the first type of For- 

 astero (Fig. 8) and Calabacillo. Some of the trees carrying 

 this shape of pod afford cacao of fine quality, and the 

 variety is largely grown in the West Indies. The trees of 



* Poda of Forasteio often assume this form, but Bhow thicker walls of the pod i 



15 



