108 



with it — and the effect in both cases is so good that I hope you will 

 recommend the use of this very simple remedy to those who suffer 

 from these pests. 



I should mention that most of my trees are about 4 years old,— 

 that the ants during the dry weather, and probably to get some mois- 

 ture, used to attack the stem where it emerges from the ground — - 

 leaving a nasty scar which the new peel has to cover up — but now they ' 

 have left off their depredations. 



The white scale is mostly on the branches, and my men do not find 

 it difficult — with the aid of a brush they make themselves out of a 

 banana or a " korato" — to coat them thoroughly with the mixture — 

 which seems to destroy them instantly. "With thanks, 



I am faithfully, 



Oscar Marescaux. 



For fuller information consul i Bulletin for May — July, 1898 which 

 contains a re-print of a Bulletin of the U. S. Department of Agricul- 

 ture,—" The principal diseases of Citrus fruits in Florida" by W. T. 

 Swingle and H. J. Webber ; also a publication by the Department of 

 Agriculture, Victoria, — " Fungus diseases of Citrus Trees in Austra- 

 lia" by D. Mac Alpine, Government Vegetable Pathologist. 



VARIETIES OF COCOA. 



Cocoa buyers state that a low price is frequently given because the 

 beans are not all from the same variety of tree, that the good and in- 

 ferior kinds are mixed, when naturally the inferior rules the price. 



On many estates the pods are of all kinds, and it is impossible to 

 say to what variety any particular tree belongs. 



There are three chief varieties of Cocoa grown in the West Indies, 

 viz., the Calabash, Criollo, and Forastero. 



The calabash pod of typical form is small and round with a smooth 

 skin ; the beans are flat, bitter, and of a dark purple colour inside. 



The Criollo pod is thin-skinned, and has a " bottle-neck" near the 

 stalk ; the beans are rounded, sweet, and white inside. 



The Forastero has a thick skin, deeply furrowed ; the beans are 

 somewhat rounded, slightly bitter and pinkish within. 



The Criollo cured Cocoa gets the highest price, but the tree is the 

 most delicate of all, and liable to disease. It can only be grown on 

 the very best soils. 



The Calabash Cocoa takes twice the time and attention to ferment 

 it as the Criollo, and fetches a very low price. The tree is, however, 

 very hardy, and will thrive on poor soil where other kinds would not 

 grow. 



The Forastero is intermediate in character between the other two. 

 The quality of the cured cocoa is good but not as fine as Criollo. The 

 tree,, however, is not subject to disease, and bears large crops. This 

 is the variety recommended for planting in Jamaica, and is the one 

 distributed from Hope Gardens. 



It is of great importance to planters to have as nearly as possible 



