Gums, Resins. 



L2 



fJULY, 1908. 



as the tree becomes older, and there 

 would be a deficiency of shade for cacao 

 during the very period when it required 

 it the most, viz., during the hottest and 

 the driest months of the year — March, 

 April and May, — and still further, the 

 more or less frequent occurrence of 

 strong south winds, occurring during 

 this period, are of serious disadvantage, 

 causing the rupture of the tendril of the 

 leaf at its point of junction with the 

 peduncle. This is tantamount to defolia- 

 tion and is a serious check to the tree. 

 All of the foregoing does not by any 

 means close the question, and my con- 

 viction arrived at after several years 

 of practical experience is that cacao can 

 be grown to a very considerable degree 

 of advantage in connection with Castilloa, 

 and provide an income before the Castil- 

 loa can in the nature of things be expected 

 to produce any appreciable amount of 

 rubber. It however involves the accep- 

 tance of the system of growing rubber in 

 partial shade, and upon this score there 

 is such a wide difference of opinion, 

 namely, " sun versus shade," that it is 

 with some diffidence I bring forward the 

 question at all. Rubber planting in 

 shade, so called, and as applying to soil 

 and climatic conditions existing on that 

 portion of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec 

 familiar to the writer, includes the 

 southern part of the State of Vera Cruz 

 and a portion of the State of Oaxaca. 

 Here the seasons may be divided into 

 three meteorological epochs : the dry 

 season of March, April and May during 

 which in normal years the rainfall is 

 insignificant and the heat very consider- 

 able ; the rainy season proper, which 

 includes the months of June, July, 

 August, September, and in part the 

 month of October, with much sunshine, 

 during three quarters of which the 

 annual precipitation occurs. This 

 season is followed by what is called the 

 season of the northers, whose influence 

 carries from the Gulf considerable 

 volumes of vapour, usually in the form of 

 much cloudiness and more or less mist 

 and drizzle. This period comprises the 

 months of November, December, Janu- 

 ary and February. Observations kept 

 by the writer extending over a period of 

 eighty years show a total average 

 annual precipitation for these months of 

 about 12 inches, or a total for the whole 

 year of approximately 100 inches — a 

 good and sufficient rainfall for any tro- 

 pical country where well distributed. 

 Continued cloudiness during these 

 months and a relatively mild series of 

 temperatures favour any slight evapor- 

 ation. Hence, though the rainfall is so 

 very much less, the actual humid con- 

 dition of soil and atmosphere is relatively 

 high. 



With the foregoing data I will now 

 enter upon the system of planting cacao 

 with rubber. 



First, nurseries are prepared in January 

 by digging up the soil in any favourable 

 locality. Seeds are sown during Febru- 

 ary, March and April as they may be 

 procurable, and by November of the 

 same year the plants are ready for trans- 

 planting. Before proceeding further it 

 will be necessary to refer to the rubber 

 plantings already made. This involves 

 the partial clearing of forest in May, 

 lining and staking at 14 to 15 feet apart. 

 The next step is selecting the trees from 

 nurseries established the previous year. 

 At this point I cannot refrain from 

 alluding to the vital importance of 

 having nurseries of Castilloa of such 

 quantity in point of number that there 

 will be a surplus of at least 50 per cent, 

 in excess of actual need, resulting in a 

 selection of prime trees of indicated 

 constitutional superiority in size and 

 development of roots. This constitu- 

 tional fixed character is in my opinion 

 a pronounced aspect of the Castilla trees, 

 more noticeable than in many other eco- 

 nomic plants. 



We will therefore be ready for plant- 

 ing operations in the month of June 

 with the first rains. Following the 

 planting of rubber the cacao trees of the 

 nurseries of February and March of the 

 same year will be ready for planting in 

 the November following. While we 

 thus make the two plantings in the 

 same year, the nurseries are made in 

 different years. Rubber in June of the 

 preceding year and cacao in February 

 and March, as already indicated, of the 

 same year of planting. All that will be 

 required in the preparation of the land 

 for the cacao trees will have practically 

 been accomplished in its preparation for 

 Castilloa, except that toward the end of 

 October the centres of each 14 feet square 

 of Castilloa should be cleaned, staked and 

 made ready for the cacao trees. 



The degree of shade required for this 

 double planting will somewhat depend 

 upon the character of the first growth. 

 Nice, fairly tall timber of a permanent 

 evergreen character, likely to endure 

 many years, will prove the best. If 

 reasonably lofty, greater advantage is 

 likely to result in a greater effect of 

 shade with a lesser number of shade 

 trees per acre, thus affording the maxi- 

 mum of soil for the root development. 



Cacao so planted may be expected to 

 come into light bearing in the fifth year, 

 and an increasing crop thereafter, while 

 Castilloa might be expected to yield some 

 return in the eighth year. Now, as the 

 above system of planting the rubber is 

 in opposition to the more general plan 



