xii, a. i Brill: Fermentation of Philippine Cacao 5 



The average increase in per cent consumption for the five 

 years 1908-1912 based on the 1908 consumption is 24.9, while 

 the increase in production calculated in the same manner is 

 11.6 per cent. 



Comparing this increase in consumption, which in each case 

 is practically double the increase in production, with the increase 

 in production, it is at once apparent that the production is 

 lagging behind. In other words, the present cacao-growing 

 countries must increase their production more rapidly than 

 they have been doing and new fields must be developed, or the 

 rate of increase in consumption will decline. This disparity in 

 increase of production and consumption cannot continue without 

 an effect on the selling price. A rise in the selling price will 

 lessen the sales and encourage interest in the cultivation. Rea- 

 soning in this manner, the growing of cacao on a large scale 

 would appear to be a profitable venture for the Philippine Islands 

 to attempt. 



Very few localities in the Philippine Islands at the present time 

 produce enough cacao for local consumption. Pampanga and 

 Iloilo Provinces are the most important exceptions. The former 

 reports the presence of five thousand cacao trees in the vicinity 

 of Mexico alone. The cacao raised in this region is of good 

 quality and appearance and compares favorably with that grown 

 elsewhere. Two varieties are grown, criollo and a very fair 

 quality of forastero. In Table III are given some data regard- 

 ing samples of these varieties examined by the Bureau of Science. 



Table III. — Average weight of fruits and seeds of Philippine cacao. 



Type. 



I*' 

 J= c 



£1 



3 « 



Weight of fruits. 



Weight of seeds. 



Weight of seeds -=- 

 weight of fruit. 



Maxi- 

 mum. 



Mini- 

 mum. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Maxi- 

 mum. 



Mini- 

 mum. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Maxi- 

 mum. 



Mini- 

 mum. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Forastero 



60 

 60 



481 

 631 



a. 

 136 



190 



9- 

 281 



<7- 



116 



(7. 



48 



0. 

 69 



P. ct. 



P. ct. 

 14.4 



P.ct. 

 24.6 



' 





















The average weight of the fruit and the percentage of the 

 seeds in the criollo is considerably greater than for the forastero. 

 This is accounted for by the fact that more careful selection 

 has been made of this variety for planting. The forastero is 

 much more common and less difficult to obtain. The planting 

 of criollo should be encouraged. 



The data in Table IV illustrate some fermentation experiments 

 with these two varieties of cacao. 



