216 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



pruning and trimming — planters should use a better-class article alto- 

 gether. I feel certain that there are thousands of native planters on the 

 Gold Coast who would purchase better-class cutlasses and pruning 

 implements if they only knew where to obtain those of a reliable make. 



Too much attention cannot be paid to the matter of diseases and 

 insect pests, as when once they become established it is a very expensive 

 item to exterminate them. The planter should always be on the alert, 

 and at the first sign of an outbreak all hands should be put on to prevent 

 its spread, and when that has been done the cause should be enquired 

 into and means taken to remedy it so as to safeguard the trees from 

 further outbreaks. The knife should be freely used, and, in the case of 

 canker or fungi, the cuttings immediately burned, and the wounds tarred 

 over. A good many more pods would remain sound if they were 

 occasionally sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or other fluid whilst in the 

 young state, but unless the planter takes care to see that his trees are 

 properly nourished and looked after he cannot expect to keep them free 

 from disease. A cacao estate should be treated as the entries in a ledger 

 account : the more you wish to draw out the larger the amount you must 

 pay in, otherwise you will soon come to grief. 



Mr. Smith, in reply, said : I was very glad to hear Mr. Cradwick say 

 that in Jamaica, at least, planters are willing to manure once they see 

 that it is to their advantage to do so. This is what I call a fair challenge, 

 and I have no doubt that the fertilizer manufacturers will take the matter 

 up. Here at any rate is a much-needed chance for them to show the 

 cacao-producing world generally that it pays, and pays well, to manure,* 



The remarks made on the use of cutlasses bear out what I have 

 already heard — that if planters would only use a decent implement the 

 prejudice against them would be much less pronounced. In speaking 

 favourably of their use Mr. Cradwick of course refers to a very different 

 thing from the inferior article that Mr. Evans condemns, and which we all 

 know so well by reputation. Manufacturers should pay more attention to 

 these markets, and with regard to the West Coast they must not be 

 discouraged because the natives have not yet learnt to appreciate a decent 

 cutlass.t These can now be obtained at so low a prime cost in com- 

 parison with the inferior brands, whilst freight and charges cost the same 

 on both qualities, that some improvement in the demand for the better 

 quality cannot long be deferred. I shall call manufacturers' attention to 

 Mr. Evans' remarks as to the difficulty of finding out the reliable firms 

 from whom to buy pruning and spraying implements. 



In disagreeing with my objection to mixing or interplanting cacao 

 and rubber, Mr. Evans' remarks prove the reasons of my objection to this 

 method to be correct. Why does he favour the idea of interplanting? 

 Simply to reduce the cost of laying out a rubber estate during the first 

 twelve years, after which if you find that the one crop causes the other to 

 Buffer, you could cut out the cacao trees, and so leave yourself with a 

 rubber estate. If you wish for a rubber estate this is, I am sure, excellent 



♦ Sinoe the meeting, one of the Jamaica planters present at the lecture has sent 

 oat 10 tons <»f basic Blag and some special cacao fertilizer to experiment with. 



J )M( ' 1,1 Inning cutlass mnkcrs has now sent out a special set of samples to 

 ,1m Nv ' ' Coait, to enable the planters there to test the advantage of the better class 



blade*. 



