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Even then we shall not have t xhnusted the shapes and colours of pods 

 in your cocoa patch because mo>t of your trees are hybrids and cannot 

 be said to belong entirely to anyone of the three chief varieties named 

 above. Still you could distinguish roughly from the appearance of 

 the pod, more accurately, however, from its contents, to which variety 

 a given tree is most nearly akin. 



Thus a Calahacillo tree gives pods containing little boans. deep pur- 

 ple, greyish purple or even slate coloured, having a disagreeable, bitter, 

 woody flavour; the Forastero gives big beans of a pink or pale purple 

 tint, while the true Criollo yields plump white beans of a sweetish plea- 

 sant taste. 



The Calabacillo cocoa is the least valuable variety and should never 

 be planted. With the means at your disposal, you will be unable to re- 

 move that bitter flavour so that the chocolate manufacturer cannot use 

 these beans for his finer confections and you cannot obtain a good price 

 for them. You will probably find too many Calabacillo trees in your 

 cultivation, your blend requires sweetening with au admixtnre of the 

 other two kinds, especially the Criollo, nr white bean. When plant- 

 ing, cut open one bean from each of the selected pods— if it is white or 

 pale i^ink in colour, plant the remaining beans. 



I assure you, Titus, you and your children vvillbless me for this advice.. 



PLANTING. 



If you have a chance of planting on a slope giving shelter from the 

 prevailing winds by all means do so. If not, a line of rose-apple or some 

 form of wind belt should be established. 



I beg you will not follow the example of your neighbours and plant 

 too closely. When the trees are fully grown the space should allow 

 of free circulation of air. A good distance is 15 feet in deep soil ; in 

 poorer soil when the trees are not likely to attain any great size 12 

 feet is the closest permissable ; if your soil is bad, don't plant cocoa at all. 



PRUNING. 



I see you are trimming your trees so as to keep them low and bushy. 

 I sbould advise that you should not heavily prune the top branches. By 

 all means cut off branches which are growing downwards A plan fol- 

 owed in Trinidad and elsewhere is to allow three main' branches to 

 grow and then, if the tree requires balancing, allow too shoots to grow 

 higher up on the lightest branch so as to form a sec >nd three-prong 

 arrangement. You will then carefuF-y lop off all gourmandisers" 

 and suckers that make their appearance. 



Pruning is so all important that you u ill doubtless attend to it yourself 

 A young tree is suon ruined by indiscriminate slashing with a cutlass. 



PICKING. 



Asa careful man, Titus, you always use a cocoa knife to cut off your 

 pods, but there are still mariy Jamaicans who deliberately wrench the 

 pod from the tree by hand, leaving a wound which takes long to heal 

 and destroying all chance of fresh blossom forming on the spot. 



This is the greatest crime in the cocoa planters calendar. 



SWEATING. 



Accumulate at least 500 poda before breaking. 



You will get better results by curing larger quantities 2,000 to 

 4,000 pods is a convenient quantity. Black pods should be broken 



