and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



561 



CACAO INDUSTRY OF ECUADOR. 



Consul-General Herman R Dietrich, of Guaya- 

 quil, reports that 41,747,587 pounds of cocoa 

 were received at that port during the six months 

 ended June 30, 1909, being 6,619,176 pounds 

 more than the receipts during the first six 

 months of 1908. The average pries of the 1909 

 receipts was 101, cents a pound, making the half 

 year's crop worth $4,383,497, which must have 

 been very satisfactory to the producers. — Tea & 

 Coffee Trade Journal for Oct., 1909. 



"THE GRAFTING OF CACAO." 



[Review By J. H. Hart, F.L.S.] 

 Such is the title of a charming little pamphlet 

 issued under the auspices of the Imperial De- 

 partment of Agriculture and written by the Cu- 

 rator of the Botanic Station, Domiuica, It is No. 

 61 of the series, and dated July 13th 1909. 

 There can, in the writer's opinion, be no doubt 

 whatever that there are important possib- 

 ilities placed in the way of the cacao planter by 

 grafting, since it has been shown that the cacao 

 tree can be propagated with ease by means of 

 the ordinary forms of vegetative reproduction. It 

 was placed on record some years ago in Trinidad 

 that the Cacao tree could be grafted by 

 approach with considerable ease, and speci- 

 mens were put on exhibition (it is believed for 

 the first time) at one of the meetings of the 

 Agricultural Society of Trinidad, a fact re- 

 ferred to at p. 2of the pamphlet. Dr Wattsidraws 

 attention to the point that trees which arise 

 from the grafting process " always develop into 

 alow spreading form," which he considers is an 

 advantage, as the crop can be more easily 

 gathered, and they do not suffer so much from 

 wind. This is to be expected, as it is a well- 

 known feature among plants that when portions 

 of the side branches of a tree are taken, as the 

 scion or graft, that the tendency of their growth 

 is not so erect as when taken from the leading 

 or upright branches. If the latter were taken 

 for grafts, there would be no complaint of low 

 growth as they would grow as tall as the parent 

 from which they are taken. This is a point long 

 made use of in fruit orchards all over the world. 



The method of conducting the operation is 

 carefully laid down by Mr Jonts, but the illus- 

 trations of the grafted parts are unfortunately 

 on rather too small a scale to inform the unins- 

 tructed. Excellent points are made of the 

 prolificness which occurs after grafting and also 

 of the feature of early bearing which has oc- 

 curred. Mr Jones appears to be of opinion that 

 under shade, the growth would become " drawn 

 or attenuated " in the same way as seedling 

 Cacao. If some of the trees noted in Brown's 

 Table published in Botanical Bulletin of Trini- 

 dad, April, 1908, were selected and grafted, 

 and fields of a single kind planted there is 

 strong evidence in Mr. Jones' pamphlet that the 

 response would be a field of surprising pro- 

 portions. The last paragraph of the pamphlet 

 should be carefully followed by all readers; es- 

 pecially should they note the words "only plants 

 possessing really desirable qualities should be 

 used to supply scions for the grafting of cacao." 



In connection with this subject, article, No. 336 

 on Cacao Improvement published in Trinidad 

 Bulletin, October, 1906, mighc be consulted as 

 it gives detailed instructions of tbe procedure 

 which should be followed in starting Cacao cul- 

 tivation on the selection and grafting system. 

 The success which has followed Mr Jones's 

 operations in grafting Theobroma pentagoma is 

 highly encouraging, his photos of grafted trees 

 clearly prove. The figures of crops of Alligator and 

 Forastero cacao are also instructive, and. what 

 will please planters best, his estimate of the cost 

 of production (probably somewhat lower than is 

 possible in Trinidad) will be an encouragement 

 to Trinidad planters " to go and do likewise." 

 — Proceedings of the Agricultural Society of Tri- 

 nidad and Tobago, Sept., 1909. 



CHINESE CAMPHOR. 



The Hankau market has become in a short 

 time a great export centre for camphor. A 

 Chinese of the name of Liu, resident in Anioy, 

 who knows the camphor industry well, ac- 

 quired early this year, says the " Chemische 

 Industrie," the monopoly for the production 

 of camphor in the provinces of Hupch and 

 Honan for a period of fifteen years. Hitherto 

 camphor had simply passed through Hankau 

 from the province of Czechuan, and the Chinese 

 population of Hankau is quite ignorant of 

 camphor production. Besides, the transit trade 

 in the article was very small. The figures for 

 last year were 213 pikuls, value 11,408 taels, 

 compared with 1,300 pikuls, value 78,300 taels 

 in 1907. It is now said that Liu has discovered 

 great camphor forests in the province of Honan. 

 He has imported skilled labour from Formosa, 

 and the natives are said to be apt learners. — 

 Financier, Oct. 20. 



FRUIT-GROWING IN ZANZIBAR. 



According to an official report forwarded by 

 Mr Basil S Cave, c.b., H.M. Agent and Consul- 

 General, Zanzibar, possesses facilities for the 

 cultivation of fruit which are not equalled by 

 any country on this side of Africa. Mangoes, 

 oranges, tangerines, limes, bananas, pineapples, 

 figs, and many other tropical species all grow 

 freely, and in some cases profusely, and the 

 country might undoubtedly, if the necessary 

 transport facilities were available, conduct a 

 remunerative trade with Egypt and as far south 

 as Delagoa Bay. If fruit of the right kind could 

 be produced in sufficient quantities it is perhaps 

 possible that the transport difficulties might 

 adjust themselves, and as an experiment in this 

 direction considerable attention is now being 

 devoted to the Kew pine, which, acclimatised 

 in Zanzibar, is one of the finest specimens of its 

 kind in the world. Until, however, the result 

 of this experiment is seen, Mr Cave does not 

 think it would be worth while to invest any 

 large sum of money in the production of a com- 

 modity for which no market might be found, 

 or which, if one did present itself, they might 

 be unable to place upon it. —Field, Sept. 18. 



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