374 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  2,  1895. 
reiiuu'lcably  different  are  the  conditions  of  transport 
in  Colombia,  and  how  this,  the  most  important 
commercial  plant  of  tropical  America,  can  be  turned 
to  better  account  in  the  colonies, 
A j;!:ince  at  the  following  figures,  which  I have 
ciilleU  from  the  “ ('(iilon  Tropirul  AijnciUlurist  " Ac., 
shows  the  relative  position  of  the  exports  of  the  three 
great  rival  products — coffee,  tea,  and  cacao,  in  the 
Old  World  and  the  New:  — 
Quantity. 
Tropical 
Old 
Articles. 
America 
World 
Tons. 
Tons. 
Coffee 
..  filO.OOO 
105,000 
Tea 
. Partically  nil 
216,000 
Cacao 
42.000 
1,600 
Total  .. 
682,000 
322,600 
To  the  foregoing  Old  World  returns  China  and 
Japan  contribute  to  the  extent  of  fully  100,000  tons 
of  tea,  so  that  the  total  exports  from  tlie  British 
Eastern  Empire,  together  with  .Java,  Ac.,  amount  to 
but  little  more  than  200,000  tons  of  coffee,  tea,  and 
cacao,  whereas  the  total  output  of  coffee  and  cacao 
from  tropical  America  amounts  to  (182,000  tons,  and 
the  value  of  this  is  50,000,(K)Of. 
Touching  the  cultural  requirements  of  these  three 
products,  cacao,  though  from  an  alimentary  point  of 
view  by  far  the  most  important,  is  placed  at  a great 
disadvantage,  inasmuch  as  this  plant  is  exclusively 
adapted  to  hot  and  humid  tropical  zones,  conditions 
which  have  undoubtedly  restricted  its  cultural  ex- 
tension. Tea  is  an  extra  tropical  product,  though  it 
is  cultivated  with  great  success  on  the  mountains  of 
the  tropics.  The  coffee  plant,  like  cacao,  is  essen- 
tially tropical,  but  it  is  constitutionally  adapted  to 
a far  wider  range  of  climatic  conditions,  for  it  grows 
in  the  hottest  valleys,  up  to  the  genial  temperature 
experienced  at  elevations  between  *1,000  and  G,000 
feet  above  sea-level.  As  to  cacao,  it  may  be  assumed 
that  if  this  tree  were  susceptible  of  cultivation  over 
the  wide  climatal  expatise  on  which  tea  grows,  instead 
of  being  confined  to  purely  tropical  climes,  its  cul- 
tivation would  have  long  since  attained  greatly 
enhanced  proportions. 
C.4.CA0. 
This  is  a favourite  article  of  cultivation  among  the  na- 
tives, cacao  and  the  beverage  is  very  largely  consumed 
throughout  the  Republic.  In  most  parts  it  is  used, 
probably,  to  the  same  extent  as  tea  is  in  England. 
Anyhow,  it  may  he  safely  computed  that  its  con- 
sumption by  the  4,000,000  inhabitants  of  tne  country 
amounts  to  not  less  than  3 lb.  per  capitum  per 
annum;  thus  a gross  annual  production  of  12,000,000  lb. 
The  number  of  trefes  requisite  to  yield  this  quantity 
may  be  estimated  at  about  12,000,000,  i.e.,  1 lb  per 
tree.  And  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  number  of 
trees  thus  indicated  is  considerably  less  than  is  under 
cultivation  in  the  island  of  Trinidad.  From  a few 
districts  of  the  Republic  some  hundreds  of  bales  are 
exported,  but  it  is  notorious  that,  in  spite  of  the 
illimitable  resources  of  the  country  for  the  cultivation 
of  this  indigenons  tree,  the  production  falls  short  of 
the  actual  wants  of  domestic  consumption.  Were 
the  plant  more  largely  cultivated  the  internal  con- 
sumption would  be  greatly  increased,  consequent  on 
reduced  prices,  which  are  usually  higher  here  than 
in  Europe.  Moreover,  only  recently  several  shipments 
of  cacao  have  been  imported  from  England,  ship- 
ments transported  at  groat  cost  to  the  interior  of 
the  country. 
'The  explanation  as  to  tlin  abnormal  position  of 
this  cultivation  may  be  best  indicated  from  the 
following  extract  of  a letter  of  mine  addressed  to 
the  President  of  the  Republic,  and  published  in  the 
“ Diario  Official”  of  November  8,  18‘)3:  — 
“ 1 place  this  in  the  first  class  of  the  products 
which  deserve  the  attention  of  the  Government.  The 
plant  is  indigenons  here,  and  the  article  is  one  of 
general  consumption  in  the  Republic.  Further,  as 
Ml  article  intended  for  exportation,  it  is,  in  my  opinion, 
more  important  than  coffee.  “ Unfortunatsly,  in  many 
parte  of  the  country  the  cultivation  of  it  is  tound  iu 
a most  lamentably  degenerate  condition.  In  a note 
on  this,  and  other  similar  matters,  published  in  the 
‘ Diario  Official  ’ of  November  7. 1887,  I referred  to 
an  insidious  disease  which  affected  the  cacao  tree 
ill  various  parts  of  the  country.  Many  plants  in  other 
countries  have  been  attacked  from  time  to  time  by 
some  disease,  lint  without  loss  of  time  an  investigation 
of  the  causes  has  been  made.  Here  this  industry 
is  allowed  lo  decay,  and  the  country  to  suffer  a loss 
of  many  thousands  of  dollars  each  year.  In  the 
document  itself  I pointed  out  as  a likely  means  of 
combatting  the  evil  the  following  : — “‘In  all  probabi- 
lity the  most  systematic  and  efficacious  remedy  which 
could  be  adopted  would  be  the  renovation  of  all  the 
plants  by  selecting  foreign  seeds,  thus  m king  im- 
possible the  reproduction  of  plants  proceeding  from 
diseased  trees.  Another  effective  remedy  might  be 
found  in  having  recourse  to  the  system  of  grafting 
healthy  brandies  into  the  wild  species  of  the  cacao.  ’ ’ 
111  coni inuatiijin  of  this  subject  I made  the  following 
remarks  in  my  former  report,  published  liy  the 
Foreign  Office  iu  .March,  18‘.U:— “lii  two  rep.nts  of 
mine,  published  by  the  Oolombiau  Government,  I 
strongly  advocated  the  introduction  of  cacao  seeds 
from  'i’rinidad,  with  the  view  of  ameliorating  the 
degenerated  plantations  of  the  interior.  The  result 
of  niy  excursion  to  the  Sierra  Nevada,  as  re  iewed 
in  this  repoit,  completely  nullifies  my  former  im- 
pressions as  to  the  advisability  of  importing  these 
seeds;  now  the  conditions  are  rever,-ed,  the  wild 
cacao  being,  par  excellence,  the  kind  for  cultivai ion 
throughout  tlie  Republic.  In  those  countries  iu  wliich 
this  product  has  become  a staple  tJie  yield  per  tree 
hardly  averages  1.1  lb.  With  our  wild  cacao  I feel 
sure  that  under  careful  cultivation  that  average  can 
be  doubled,  though  iu  making  an  estimate  of  returns 
I prefer  to  curtail  this  prospective  average.  The 
cacao  planters  of  Toliina,  where  millions  of  pounds 
are  cropped,  annually  obtain  an  average  of  little 
more  than  i lb.  per  tree.  Hence  the  replanting  of 
the  degeiieiMted  fields  of  the  interior,  as  we'l  as  the 
extension  of  this  cultivation,  with  seeds  from  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  is  a measure  the  importance  of  which 
caunot  be  overrate!.  Arrangements  c mid  be  made 
for  the  acquisition  of  these  seeds  on  a large  scale.  ” 
In  that  report  I also  referred  to  the  favourable 
conditions  imdcr  which  cacao  flourishes  in  Trinidad, 
where  this  product  is  an  important  staple,  and  iu 
making  a comparison  with  these  conditions,  I sum- 
moned up — “ How  infinitely  superior  are  tlic  innumer- 
able sites  for  plantations  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  sites  which  nature  has  disclosed.  ’ In  this 
connection  it  should  be  mentioned  that  tlie.se  favourahlo 
conditions  are  liv  no  means  confined  to  the  district 
surrounding  the  Sierra  Nevada  (a  ‘■ystem  of  mountains 
distinct  from  tliat  of  the  Andes),  that  is  to  say. 
equally  eligible  lands  abound  iu  the  great  valleys  at 
the  feet  of  the  Cordilleras  of  the  Colombian  Andes. 
Here  thousands  of  square  miles  arc  most  iidmirubly 
adapted  for  the  niaiit. 
The  disease  affecting  Ibis  cultivation  is  confined, 
as  far  as  I am  aware,  to  two  provinces,  namely  to 
certain  districts  of  Tolima  and  of  Antioqiiias.  For- 
tunately, though  the  disease  is  widely  extended  in 
Tolima,  tlie  southern  confines  of  the  department  are 
ill  a great  nieasurc  exempt  from  it.  Tet  attacks  by 
parasitical  insects  arc  frequent  sources  of  conceru 
to  the  planter.  In  all  probability  the  diseases  to 
which  this  plant  is  subjected  have  been  instigated 
by  the  injurious  system  of  close  plaiitiug  resorted  to, 
combined  with  the  c.xcessive  shade  imparted  by  an 
overgrowth  of  trees  planted  for  shading  the  cacao. 
In  the  soiilli  of  Tolima.  it  is  interesting  to  note, 
this  cultivation  is  pursued  on  a considerable  scale 
and  with  great  success,  under  the  influenco  of  irri- 
gation. 'The  region  in  question  is  characterised  by 
prolonged  droughts,  and  the  application  of  irrigation 
has  thus  proved  inoit  advantageous.  Cacao  thus 
produced  has  become  quite  an  important  industry. 
Flanters  in  British  colonies  will  be  glad  to  learn 
that  the  plant  is  amenable  lo  systematic  irrigation, 
a condition  that  assures  the  extensive  cultivation  of 
the  plant  in  comparatively  dry  regions,  for  excessively 
humid  coudilions  of  climate  have  been  deemed  in- 
dispeusably  requisite  for  the  plant. 
