Oct. lflOfii] 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



Cacao Cultivation in Ceylon. 111. 



By Herbert Wright. 

 (Illustrated.) 



Cacao Seeds. 



In shape, size, aud colour the seeds vary considerably. The .shape \n some- 

 times flat as in Amelouado, Calabacillo and some forms of Nicaragiian, round and 

 plump in forms of Caracas and Nicaraguan, long and more or less rounded in 

 Cundeamor and other Porastero types. The size varies according to the part of 

 the fruit occupied by the seeds, those at the ends usually being smaller- and also 

 flatter— than those in the middle ; the largest size is seen in the Nicaraguan aud 

 Caracas fruits, and the smallest in the Forastero types. 



The colour of the seeds varies from white to deep purple in the same fruit 

 or in fruits from different varieties. Generally the seeds of the Nicaraguan 

 aud Caracas varieties are white, those of the Forastero types white or purple, 

 in varying 1 intensity, and those of Amelonado and Calabacillo all deep purple. 

 There is, however, a great variation in the number of white seads in the first 

 mentioned varieties, and more often than not the cacao trees on plantations in 

 Ceylon possess fruits with white and purple seeds, or with all the seeds purple. 

 It is very rare that all the seeds in the fruits from one tree are white, even with 

 the Caracas aud the more recently introduced Nicaraguan forms, and much of the 

 unevenness in the finished product is to be attributed to this unfortunate variation. 



It has been shown by Lock* that out of nearly seven hundred fruits of the 

 Caracas variety about 58 per cent, of them possessed white seeds only, 40 per cent, 

 possessed white and purple seeds, and 1*8 per cent, possessed purple seeds only. In 

 the particular set of fruits referred to 847 per cent, of the seeds were white aud 14"2 

 per cent, distinctly purple, thus showing that though the reputed original character 

 still predominates, the mixed seeds are becoming very prominent. In most cacac* 

 growing countries the Cacaras or Criollo type is supposed to possess white seeds 

 only. Similarly a large percentage of the seeds of the Nicaraguan, which are 

 commonly supposed to be white, were found to be mixed, but the white remains 

 predominant in some types of this group. The Forastero types always possess 

 coloured seeds, and though as many as 18'8 per cent, of the fruits contained purple 

 seeds only, none were seen with white seeds only ; the seeds of 180 fruits of this 

 group possessed 61'8 per cent, of purple seeds and 37'4 per cent, of white ones, 

 thus proving the existence of a definite quantitative difference between the 

 Forastero and the preceding Criollo types. The Amelonado and Calabacillo 

 fruits possess 100 per cent, of purple seeds, white ones being unknown in Ceylon. 



Colour op Seeds. 



Variety of 

 Cacao. 



Fruits with 

 white seeds 

 only. 



Fruits with 

 purple seeds 

 only. 



Fruits with 

 mixed seeds 

 purple and 

 white. 



Percentage 

 number of 

 white seeds 

 in fruits. 



Percentage number 

 of distinctly 

 purple seeds 

 in fruita. 





Par cent. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 



Nicaraguan 



48-2 



18'8 



33-0 



64 



36 



Caracas 



57-9 



18 



40 3 



84-7 



14-2 



Forastero 



oo-o 



184 



81-6 



37-4 



bl-8 



Amelonado 



oo-o 



100 



oo-o 



oo-o 



100-0 



*R. H. Lock, Circular, R.B.G. 



41 



