JuLy I, 1902.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULrURIST. 
19 
notice that a large number of concerns have es- 
tiiiiaiefl for an increase over last year's production, 
which, if at tained, cannot but lead to lower price.", 
while what Ceylon contemplates doing we have not 
the least reliable information about.— /ndiaw 
Flanters' Gazette, May 3. 
THE CULTIVATION OF COCOA IN 
AFRICA. 
Ab present the little Portuguese Island of 
St. Thorad is the great source of produc- 
tion of African Cocoa, but from maps of the 
Island showing the area under cultivation, 
as well as from reports, the area suitable for 
cultivation is pretty well taken up, and any- 
one wishing to buy an estate cannot but be 
struck at the very high prices asked ; but in 
Fernando Po to the North of St. Thora^ 
and the little lie du Prince between the 
two. Cocoa is receiving great attention, and 
shows signs of becoming an important in- 
dustry, the climate being suitable, and though 
at present, owing to the absence of means of 
transit in the centre, the cultivations are 
mostly along the coast, it is hoped, especially 
in Fernando Po, that the interior will soon be 
opened up, and ofSer facilities for the carriage 
of produce down to the coast. 
Taking the Islands off the East Coast next, 
the Seychelles islands are slowly but surely 
pushing ahead, though the quantity they 
supply is never likely to be very important ; 
in the French Island of "La Reunion" the 
cultivation has gone back, for whilst in 1884 
the total crop amounted to 4,000 kilos, in 
1889 1900 it was evidently too small to at- 
tract the attention of statisticians, and local 
chocolate makers complained that they were 
unable to obtain sufficient Raw Cocoa to 
satisfy their trade. As Cocoa was well- 
known in the Island in 1827 it cannot be that 
the climate is unsuitable, 
Cocoa from time to time is also received 
from Mauritius, but up to now it seems that 
the cultivation of sugar has engrossed the 
attention of cultivators, and so Cocoa has had 
to take a seat in the rear. 
It is Madagascar that may in the future 
become a very large source of supply, (and 
together with the German Cameroons de- 
serves careful attention) and if it had not 
been for the (Madagascar) War there is little 
doubt that it would have been a much more 
important centre than it is at present. Ori- 
ginally the seeds came from La Reunion, 
and in 1883 it was calculated that about 6,000 
trees were planted, all near the coast, and 
then came the war so that 1888 (five years 
later) still found them with only 15,000 trees ; 
but since than I have heard that more than 
20 estates have been planted. Ihe climate 
of this island, however, shows some signs of 
confining the area suitable for cultivation, 
the rainfall being too uncertain in the North 
and South, and too small on the Western 
Bide (the one nearest to the Continent of 
Africa), so that it seems as though the East 
Coast and the centre ai'e alone suitable for 
Cocoa ; but then the Island is very large, so 
there should be plenty of room in the centre, 
The district round Tamatave seems to be the 
best district, all the year round. 
To go now to the mainland. Cocoa is being 
planted in French Guinea, the Gold Coast, 
the Ivory Coast and round Calabar but ifc 
is badly prepared and at present, I believe, is 
in the hands of natives who sell it to Euro- 
peans to propei-iy dry, if not to cure as well. 
Reports agree that all these places are 
suitable for the growing of Cocoa, and con* 
sidering the absence of skill, attention, &c.,' 
the results up to now have been satisfactory. 
In the Belgian Congo where Cocoa was 
not introduced until 1884 and not really 
planted until 1887-88, it was estimated by 
Mons. Wauters that in 1898 there were 125,000 
trees in cultivation. The natives seem to be 
also growing it under the direction of their 
chiefs. In the French Congo, although it was 
not started until 1887, Cocoa seems to have 
made more progress than in the Belgian 
centre, and is reported to be now in general 
cultivation throughout the Colony, and has 
given on the whole satisfactory results The 
total shipments from the Colony in 1898 are 
put down to be 3,800 bags, of which about 
one-third went to France, and the balance, 
the estate belonging to a Dutch firm, to 
Holland. 
Now we come to the German Colony of the 
Cameroons whose cocoa, I believe, is shipped 
entirely to Hamburg ; if so the following re- 
ceipts of this growth in Hamburg will give 
some idea of the extent to which the indus- 
try has grown since 1892 : — 
In 1892 the Cameroon returns say 
the Colony shipp.-d ... 900 bags 
In 1895 the Cameroon returns say 
the Colony shipped 2 640 
In 1807 1898 1899 1900 
5,400 6,745 9,047 9,833 -bags were received 
in Hamburg from the Colony. And to the 
end of February, the figures compared as 
follows : — 
1898 1899 1900 1901 
2,046 1,842 2,0.53 4,041 bags received irl 
Hamburg from the Colony, showing a regular? 
and substantial increase. 
After St. Thom^ therefore the Cameroons 
are expected to be the most important sup- 
plier although the very optimistic idea as to 
returns, when the district was first planted 
between 1886 and 1890, were rudely disap* 
pointed. Before 1886 only a few trees were 
in existence, and those had been planted by 
the natives. The cocoa has come from a 
good stock originally, the seeds having been 
brought at great cost from Trinidad, Vene- 
zuela, Ceylon and St. Thome. At present 
most of the plantations are near the coast, 
or along the river banks in the Western and 
South Western districts, and there is an 
abundance of land equally suitable for culti- 
vation, once the trouble of transit has been 
overcome. 
The Germans, it seems, pay great attention 
to the outward appearance of the bean, and 
the "break" has been sacrificed for the 
appearance outside ; excessive fermentation, 
which all African cocoa seems to require, 
rather spoils the shell, as well iis the rounded 
appearance, but owing to the complaiuta 
