612 



of tl Cocoa planting in the West Indies." The paper is preceded by an 

 introduction by Sir Daniel Morris and followed by the discussion to 

 which the paper gave rise, and several additional articles by Mr. Hart 

 of Trinidad, Mr. Cradwick and others. 



The booklet, deals with the industry of cocoa planting in all 

 branches, and adds many suggestions for improvements in cultivation 

 and preparation of cocoa, such subjects as the use of vacuum chambers 

 for drying the beans, the plan of planting belts of rubber trees to 

 break up the estate and prevent the spread of disease are discussed. 

 The value of systematic manuring is shown by a photograph of a 

 wonderful tree in Para which gave 720 pods, yielding 60 lbs., of dried 

 cocoa in one year. 



Cocoa planting has never attained any popularity in the Malay 

 peninsula. It has occasionally been planted in small lots, but has 

 generally been soon given up. Pods however of good and full size have 

 often been shown at our agricultural shows, and at every show there 

 are some exhibits. The chief trouble here seems to have been the 

 various diseases to which the tree is subject, and the aggressiveness 

 and abundance of our squirrels, rats and other such mammalian pests. 



There is a considerable amount of discussion as to whether cocoa 

 should or should not be grown under shade, and Mr. Barrett in this 

 pamphlet is quoted as very strongly of opinion that shade is objection- 

 able and absolutely injurious. The little experience we have had with 

 the plant here tends in the opposite direction. Not only do unshaded 

 isolated trees speedily perish but in a case in which a shaded tree in 

 the Botanic Gardens was partially unshaded by the fall of boughs on the 

 shade tree, the exposed part of the cocoa died in a very short time from 

 fungus attacks. But what may be suitable treatment for plants in the 

 East Indies may not be suitable treatment for those in the West. 



The time may come when we shall treat the cultivation of cocoa 

 in the peninsula seriously as a supplementary cultivation to rubber, 

 or as an independent one but it can hardly be expected just yet. 

 Those however who would wish to try the cultivation again would do 

 well to add this little book to their stock of literature on planting. 

 It is published at the " Tropical Life " publishing Depot, 83 Great 

 Tichfield Street, London, at the price of one shilling and is well worth 

 the cost. 



H. N. Ridley. 



RUBBER IN HAWAII. 



The rubber industry is a new one in Hawaii but already large 

 areas have been planted. The plant used is Ceara rubber (Manihot 

 Glaziovii), over 400,000 trees have been planted in 'Hawaii and new 

 plantations are rapidly being established. There are large areas suitable 

 and available for its cultivation. The first trees were introduced 15 to 

 20 years ago, and it makes rapid growth and seems suited to Hawaiian 

 conditions. 



Preliminary tapping experiments have been made by the experiment 

 station indicating a high yield of rubber of good quality even from trees 



