198 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



other day, and I was fortunate enough to secure his remarks on the 

 matter for publication in the issue of "Tropical Life" for May last. 

 Mr. Hart, I think it was, in the Annual Report for 1902 stated that 

 the experiments made by the in-arching process, when the plants were 

 in the seedling stage, appeared to be satisfactory. The larger experiments 

 in this direction successfully carried out at Dominica are deserving of 

 attention. 



In Jamaica, I hear, budding has met with considerable success, both 

 as regards evenness of sample and increase of yield. Mr. T. J. Harris 

 published some interesting information on the results of his budding 

 experiments in 1902 and 1903. 



Granted, for the sake of argument, that it is as wise and even as 

 necessary to graft cacao as to bud or graft rose or orange trees, let us 

 consider which varieties should be used as the stock and as the scion. 

 In his last " Bulletin," that for April, Mr. Hart gives statistics of 

 twelve trees that gave an average yield of 253 pods each within 

 twelve months, whilst the average of the six best trees was as high 

 as 324 pods, the best giving 367 pods and the second best 355. Such 

 trees, he thinks, should undoubtedly be chosen for seed to raise the 

 parent stock from for grafting purposes. Being in Trinidad, these will, 

 of course, be Forastero trees. As a rule, Mr. Hart seems to favour the 

 Calabacillo variety for the stock. Mr. Evans, the acting Director of 

 Agriculture at the Gold Coast, also a believer in grafting, I believe, 

 favours the Forastero as the stock. -For the scion there seem several 

 competitors. No doubt different centres will find different scions, if not 

 different stocks, to suit them best. Mr. Evans writes that he does 

 not favour the Pentagojia, recommended by some, as he finds on the 

 West Coast of Africa that it is a poor yielder. The true Criollo of 

 Venezuela, on the other hand, the Ocu?nare, he found to grow as well 

 as the Forastero, and if it bears as well on the West Coast, as it does in 

 Venezuela it will probably be very useful to African planters as a scion. 

 With all these lighter varieties, lighter both as regards colour and weight, 

 it must be borne in mind that, for the more delicate scions to leave any 

 mark on the produce, it must tend to reduce both the actual number 

 and also the weight of the beans. This is one of the drawbacks in 

 cultivating pure Criollo : you may score in the actual price, but certainly 

 as long as cacao powder is so much in vogue the net proceeds, area for 

 area, will continue to be on the side of the hardy, weighty, and more 

 freely yielding Forastero and Calabacillo. One day I hope that the 

 cacao and chocolate consuming public will realize the advantages of 

 properly preparing their beverage by boiling, and then fine flavoured 

 beans will be worth producing, for their more delicate flavour will be 

 brought out and appreciated in the preparation. Until that happy day 

 there is no doubt that, with the exception of a limited demand for fancy 

 confectionery, it will pay the planter best to turn out cacao in bulk, 

 produced from the most abundant yielding tree, taking care only that 

 he and his neighbours send to market as even a bulk sample as it is 

 possible for a producing centre to turn out. It is worth trying, by 

 k r raftin<j or budding, to equalize the trees on an estate in order to obtain 

 this evenness. 



