YIELD, VALUE AND PRICES OF CACAO 225 



For thb West Indies 



Trinidad 1} to 1| lb. per tree (Freoss). 



„ . . . . . 2 to 3 lb. per tree (Oliver). 



„ ..... 464 grammes per tree or 1'02 lb. 



(Royal Commission). 



„ 1 '5 to 1 "6 lb. per tree (Hart). 



„ 1 'i lb. per tree (De Gannes). 



In January, 1908, 1 published an account of the yield of a 

 single tree in the Botanical Gardens, Trinidad, the crop 

 of which was harvested under the author's personal 

 supervision, as follows : 



Yield of a single tree, Theobroma cacao var. Forastero amdonado : 

 Tear. lb. oz. 



1907 February ..... 7 8 dry cacao. 



May 3 14 „ 



„ August 2 15 „ 



„ December ..... 14 „ 



15 3 



This is the yield of a tree which received nothing but 

 ordinary cultivation, was not planted in any specially 

 prepared land, and, in fact, received little attention. 

 Brown's table does not show the return in dry cacao, but 

 calculating that ten to twelve pods make a pound of dry 

 cacao, the value of the number of pods can readily be 

 ascertained.* It also shows not only the yield of the 

 best trees, but the fluctuations of the yield during the 

 year ; also the fact that a cacao-tree is seldom out of 

 bearing ; and it explains as much as a- single year can, 

 the course of the crop seasons and the variations of the 

 yield during the different months. What is called the 

 " June crop " appears in this table — in May, June, and 

 July. What is called the " November crop " began to 

 appear only in December, and lasted, as will be seen, into 

 the following year. 



The crop periods in any one year may be as much 

 as six or more weeks earlier or later, and may extend 

 continuously through several months, a result entirely 

 dependent upon the seasons or meteorological conditions. 



* The weight of dry cacao obtainable is, of course, dependent upon the 

 variety under cultivation, some of which would give j }b. from seven pods 

 and others 1 Jb. from fifteen or more pods, 



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