PRUNING CACAO 67 



should be encouraged to extend themselves laterally, as 

 they have a natural tendency to do, and should be en- 

 couraged to develop at regular distances the secondary 

 branches. The tertiary branches should also be encouraged 

 to grow at regular intervals. 



In the primary stages, pruning should be performed 

 before the wood becomes sufficiently hard to require the 

 use of knife by the method known as " pinching." This 

 is carried out with the thumb and finger, and all succulent 

 shoots not required, can be headed back or " stopped " 

 by this means. At all times it should be the endeavour 

 of the pruner to maintain the tree well balanced, i.e. it 

 should not have one branch growing more rapidly than 

 another, so as to make the tree appear lop-sided from any 

 one point of view. Many of the older cultivators do not 

 regard this point sufficiently in carrying out their pruning 

 operations, and many branches are left, owing to their 

 being bearing branches, which, for the permanent security 

 of the tree, for its general appearance, and for its bearing 

 qualities, should be removed. It is much better to check 

 at once the tendency of a tree to assume an irregular and 

 uncultivated form, than to allow a branch to grow for a 

 time and finally be compelled to remove it when of large 



The pruning of a cacao-tree should be conduced' with ' 

 a view, in the first instance, to the ultimate production of 

 fruit. Unless we have a plentiful supply of good healthy 

 leaves, evenly distributed over the tree so as to obtain the 

 maximum of light and air they require, we cannot expect 

 to secure large crops of fruit ; in fact, unless the machinery 

 is in good working order and the supply of fuel abundant, 

 we cannot expect a good output. The leaves and roots 

 represent the machinery, and water, sunlight, air, and 

 plant-food acting together represent the fuel supplied. 



The branches of cacao-trees should be evenly distributed, 

 so that the leaves they carry may be maintained in good 

 health, and just thinly enough distributed to admit suffi- 

 cient sun and air to mature the fruit. What is sufficient 



