8 CACAO 



gained a reputation on account of its delicious aroma. 

 According to Gumilla, it was superior to that of Caracas 

 and other places, so much so, that the crops were bought 

 and paid for beforehand." 



" In the year 1727, however, a terrible epidemic spread 

 in the cacao plantations " and complete ruin followed. 

 The nature of this epidemic is indicated, for Sir Louis states 

 " the trees were apparently healthy and vigorous ; the 

 flowering abundant, giving fruits ; but none of them came 

 to maturity, as the young pods dried up before full growth." 

 Itis, of course, impossible to decide exactly what this disease 

 really was, but the presence on the plantations to-day of 

 diseases which might be similarly described, leads to the 

 inference that it was of fungus origin, and similar to if not 

 identical with some of those diseases recently identified. 



" Thirty years later," Sir Louis De Verteuil continues, 

 " some Aragonese Capuchin fathers were successful in their 

 attempt to revive the culture of cacao in the island. They 

 imported from the Continent a new species [variety], 

 the Cacao forastero, which, though giving a produce fo 

 inferior quality, was nevertheless promptly propagated as 

 being hardier ; that is the cacao at present cultivated in 

 the island." 



The characteristics of Trinidad CrioUo cacao are, the 

 thinness of the shell of the pod, its rounded beans, and pale 

 colour of the interior of the bean on section. The leaves 

 of the tree are small when compared with the Forastero 

 varieties, and the tree itself is not nearly so sturdy and 

 thriving, and does not produce such regular and abundant 

 crops as the Forastero and Calabacillo varieties. The skin 

 of the bean is thinner, and the interior has but little of that 

 bitter flavour which is characteristic of the unfermented 

 bean of Forastero and especially of that of Calabacillo. 



The flattest beans are those produced by pods of the Cala- 

 bacillo type. The beans of Forastero are intermediate 

 between these and the rounded form of the CrioUo, which 

 are often shghtly pointed. The sketch of beans of three 

 typical varieties in Figs. 1, 2, and 8 on the opposite page 



