January, 1909.] 47 



prices than ordinary concentrated juice, 

 and therefore every effort should be 

 made by planters to ship a high-class 

 product. 



The use of centrifugals in drying 

 citrate had given very good results. 

 Centrifugal-dried citrate contained much 

 less water than the ordinary pressed 

 product, and was in a better physical 

 condition. Samples of different types 

 of citrate now exhibited show clearly 

 the better condition of the centrifugal 

 dried citrate, and would indicate when 

 citrate of lime is made on a large scale 

 the use of the centrifugal instead of 

 the ordinary process is to be recom- 

 mended. 



Mr. Joseph Jones, Curator of the 

 Botanic Station, Domiuica, gave the 

 following information in respect to the 

 progress made in the manufacture of 

 citrate of lime in Dominica during the 

 past year : — 



During 1906, the year in which citrate 

 of lime was first exported from Dominica, 

 728 cwt. of this product was exported. 

 During 1907, 2,388 cwt. of citrate of lime 

 was shipped, showing an increase over 

 the export of 1906 of 1,660 cwt., a very 

 satisfactory advance. 



Up to the present time only one firm 

 has been engaged in making this product, 

 but it is probable that another estate 

 may shortly commence its manufacture. 



The great drawback in making citrate 

 in Dominica at present is the cost of 

 drying the product. What is required 

 is efficient machinery for cheaply and 

 quickly drying the citrate without loss 

 of acid. When such an apparatus can 

 be obtained without too great a cost, 

 the chief obstacle in the making of 

 citrate of lime by estates will have 

 been removed. 



Should such machinery be of too costly 

 a character for estates making 80 to 

 100 hogsheads of concentrated juice to 

 iustal, then we may expect to see the 

 development of factories at suitable 

 points in the several districts for the 

 purchase of lime juice from adjoining 

 estates to be made into citrate of lime. 



Information as to the cultivation of 

 the lime and to the manufacture of its 

 products has been prepared in co-oper- 

 ation with the scientific officers on the 

 staff of the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, and will shortly be issued 

 in pamphlet form.*— West Indian Bul- 

 letin, Vol. IX., No. 2. 



* A.B.C. of Lhno Cultivation, Pamphlet No. 

 53, lSBued- in March, 1908.— Ed. W.I.B. 



Edible Products. 



THE IMPROVEMENT OP CACAO 

 PLANTING IN THE WEST INDIES. 



By J. H. Hart, f.l.s., 

 Superintendent, Royal Botanic Gard ens, 

 Trinidad. 



Cacao estates in Trinidad are largely 

 planted on what is known as the con- 

 tract system. Under this system the 

 proprietor gives out certain areas to a 

 contractor, and after the land has been 

 cleared at the expense of the owner, the 

 contractor enters into possession for 

 usually about five years. During this 

 time the contractor drains the land and 

 grows certain crops for his own benefit, 

 and at the same time plants cacao as 

 laid down by contract. When the 

 lands are taken over by the owner from 

 the contractor, Is. to Is. 3d. is paid for 

 each full bearing tree, half that price 

 for each half tree, and a quarter for 

 each quarter tree. 



The general adoption of this system 

 appears to depend upon the fact that 

 under it less immediate expenditure of 

 capital is incurred, and the planter 

 when he has paid lor the trees at the 

 end of the term, should immediately 

 obtain some return for his money, for 

 many of the trees should be commencing 

 to bear. Briefly, the proprietor gives 

 the land for five years for the cultivation 

 of food products, with some few restric- 

 tions, in return for the labour expended 

 in plantiug and rearing the cacao trees 

 with addition of a bonus per tree at the 

 end of the term. 



In Tobago, the contract system is not 

 generally adopted, and some estates are 

 formed by the owners. There is but 

 little difference to be noticed between 

 an estate planted under contract, and 

 one planted by an owner. The actual 

 method of planting under both systems 

 is identical ; the same class of tree is 

 planted, the same shade is used, and the 

 same technic is adopted in both cases. 



The methods pursued in other places 

 vary somewhat from those described, 

 but are in principal fairly identical. 



There is no reasonable doubt that 

 although the contract system may have 

 its advantage as affording a cheap 

 means of establishing a plantation, it is 

 not one which provides for the scientific 

 treatment of "the cacao tree, as it is 

 based entirely upon growth from seed. 

 The cacao tree grown from seed varies 

 in vigour and productiveness, and in 

 size, colour, and flavour of its produce. 

 The seed of red pods may produce trees 

 bearing yellow ones, aud those from 

 yellow may produce trees possessing red 



