January I, 1892.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
509 
in a country or one belonging to a country. With 
European Anglicans the word " Creole " is generally 
supposed to have reference to a mixture of races, 
but it is not used in that sense here. 
For instance a child born of white parents in any 
West Indian Island, or even on the mainland of 
Central and South America is a "Creole," and just 
as much so as a black or coloured child would be. 
In fact "Creole" would be better translated as "native" 
than as "wild" or coloured, a black or coloured child 
being just as much a Creole as a white one. An 
English clergyman lately travelling in Trinidad was 
much surprised to find that the word Creole was 
used in this sense here, and even when shown that 
the use of the word in his sense would often subject 
him to ridicule, still he said he was not inclined to 
allow that the West Indian interpretation was right, 
but felt inclined to follow his own. This gentleman 
was writing a book, and possibly we may hear more 
of his conservatism later on. 
It is important that the sense in which the word 
" Creole is used should be fully understood as we 
have Criollo " as our first variety of cacao. 
If we interpret the words Criollo cacao as native 
cacao, and Porastero as foreign cacao, and Calabacillo 
cacao as calabash cacao, we shall have a better defi- 
nition of terms, and prevent further misapplication of 
the word "Criollo." The Calabacillo is so named 
from its fruits resembling those of the calabash tree 
( Crescentia cujete, L.) 
Dr. Trimen (Annual Report, 1890,) remarks that 
these names appear to have had their origin in Trini- 
dad, and doubts whether the first or Creole was " ever 
really a native plant there." The misunderstanding 
of the word Creole probably leads him to this con- 
clusion, for how could it be Natioe on Creole (Criollo) 
if imported into Trinidad, unless its name was im- 
ported from South Ajnerica with it, and if so it 
should be known as the Criollo of South America and 
not simply Criollo. The word Forastero is also 
applied on the Main to the same cacao as in Trinidad, 
for they term it " Trinitario "* in contradistinction 
to their own CrioUo, and certainly a plant of Trinidad 
would be Forastero or foreign in Venezuela or any 
other part of Central America, and therefore their 
Forastero being a foreign cacao and supposed to have 
its origin in Trinidad, would properly be the Criollo 
of Trinidad if the word was used in the correct sense. 
It may be possible, however, that Criollo cacao is 
a native of both countries, and that one has as good 
claim to it as another, but the balance of probability 
appears to be that its origin can be rightly traced to 
South America as indicated by Dr. Trimen, but there 
at present appears no ground of proof in support of 
the proposition. 
Dr. Trimen also repudiates the authenticity of the 
word Criollo as attached to plants sent him from the 
Trinidad Botanic Gardens, and turns them into 
Forastero apparently on account of their being dis- 
eimilar to " the Old Ceylon Red cacao, also called 
Caracas" (Report for 1890,) but he allows a little 
later, that the Forastero sent from Trinidad to Ceylon 
is in the opinion of a large grower gradually chan- 
ging its character and " becoming more like the Old 
Ceylon Red," or in other words, is reverting to its 
original type through the influence of the soil and 
chmate in which it grows. 
If therefore it is possible for Forastero to revert 
into the Caracas or Criollo, this circumstance goes 
very far to sustain the supijosition that Forastero is 
merely a descendant of Criollo, or that Criollo is a 
descendant of Forastero : the change being brought 
about by circuinslances of soil and climate in each 
case. That such a change is quite possible and very 
probable, is shown by the fact that our best scientifio 
uotanisla do not find sufficient distinctive characters 
(notwithstanding the differences in the form, sizoand 
colour of fruit, leaf and tree) to make more than 
one species of all our cultivated varieties; which as Dr. 
Trimoii truly says, probaly trace their origin to a 
common wild parent. 
The characteriatica of the Criollo cacao are the 
• Dv. Chittoudou in Jjricultwnl Iiem<l, Y9I. ii., p- 
thinness of its pod, its rounded beans and pale colour 
of the interior of the bean on section. The leaves 
of the tree are small whencompared with the Fora- 
stero varieties and the tree itself is not nearly so 
sturdy and thriving, and does not produce such regular 
and abundant crops as the Forastero and Calabacillo 
varieties. The skin of the bean is thinner, and the 
interior has but a small proportion of that bitter 
flavour which is characteristic of the unfermented bean 
of Forastero and especially that of Calabacillo. 
The .flattest beans art those produced by pods of 
the Calabacillo type. The beans of Forastero are in- 
termediate between these and the rounded form of 
the Criollo. 
1 2 3 
Ceiollo. Fokastero. Calabacillo. 
The above sketch of sections of the beans of the 
three typical varieties, shows the difference in form 
which occurs, but still there will be found intermediate 
forms hardly reconcilable with any of the figures, so 
that they are to be taken as representative only of 
the typical varieties with some latitude. 
There are rounded beans* to be found in almost 
every pod towards its extremities, but the proportion 
of rounded beans in Calabacillo is very small indeed, 
and the yield of this form of bean increases only as the 
character of the pods approaches the Criollo type. 
The Calabacillo, or that class which gives small, roun- 
ded and smooth pods and flat beans, having a bitter 
taste, is the lowest type of cacao that is grown, and 
requires the greatest amount of skill during treatment to 
bring it into marketable form, the process of ferment- 
ing it, taking more than double the time required 
for Criollo. The tree however is the strongest grower 
and the hardiest of all the varieties and will thrive 
on poorer lands, and on lands on which it would be 
impossible to grow the finer kinds. 
Trees of the Forastero type are also strong growers, 
and its varieties are suitable for most lands in which 
cacao can reasonably be expected to thrive. It ap- 
proaches the Calabacillo type by the Amelonado 
variety, both red and yellow, and certainly stands 
as a large intermediate and somewhat variable type 
between Criollo and Calabacillo. In general the Fora- 
stero type has a thick skin. It approaches the 
Criollo in form, .or runs into Criollo by its variety 
Cundeamar verugosa, red and j'ellow, but trees may 
be found bearing pods which are hardly to be dis- 
tinguished from the Criollo on the one side and the 
Calabacillo on the other, thus showing the breadth 
of form covered by this kind. 
It becomes a question, therefore, for the planter 
to ascertain the character of his land with as much 
accuracy as possible before deciding what variety of 
cacao he will plant. If very poor he can rely upon 
Calabacillo only. If from nioderately good to fairly 
rich, he should rely upon the varieties of the For- 
astero type, but if rich and lasting ground, only tho 
best types of Criollo should be planted, 
The generality of plantations are however of so 
mixed a character that it is difficult to separate one 
kind from another, though there cannot be any doubt 
tliat it would more than pay for any extra trouble 
were the system of planting each type in separata 
fields faithfully carried out. 
* The word "bean" is incori'ect, but as it is the com- 
moti form , of expression amomj our cacao 2>lanttrs, it it 
u^idas bciny better imderstwii ihm amj oHiCr, 
