Cocoa And Chocolate
The Tree, The Bean The Beverage

104 THE COCOA AND CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY of the crop J in Ecuador it was much higher and in Grenada lower. Thtis the cost of procluction in Grenada was 3|d. a Ib. and the cacao sold for 6d. a 1b. According to Mr. Keith’s figures for Ceylon in 1922, when the plantation is in full bearing each pound costs less than 3d. to produce and seils for over 6|d. Or to express it another way, each acre brings in a profit of (9 a year. As cacao trees are usually planted 12 ft. by 12 ft., there are 300 to the acre. A yield. of 5 cwts. an acre works out at 1 -87 Ibs. of cacao a tree, which in Ceylon, in 1922, was worth 12-5d. The cost of all work in connection with obt<iining cacao from onc trc6 in. bearing, by calculation from Mr. Keith’s figures, is 5-3d. a year, or on each bearing tree one makes a profit of 7-2d. (or on an acre growing 300 trees, £&). The author promised in an earlier chapter to show how it was possible to cultivate profitably a tree which on the average gives less than 2 lbs. of product a year, and trusts that the above figures have explained the mystery. Although the return on invested Capital is high, it is not advisable for one to become a planter unless one has a strong liking for the open air and agricultural pursuits. Given this, it is a very enjoyable life, and with a plodding disposition, a receptive mind, and a buoyant faith to bridge the difficult times, one s ultimate success is assured. As a writer in The Statist (Aug., 1919) says, “ The returns on a cacao plantation, once it has attained maturity and the plants are bearing to the full extent, very soon repay the planter for his outlay, and. in a few years may, if he is fortunate, place him in such a position that he is able to retire with a handsome competence on a comparatively modest outlay of Capital.” Valuing an Estate. The method of valuing an estate is based either on the number of trees or on the average