Cocoa And Chocolate
The Tree, The Bean The Beverage

36 THE COCOA AND CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY suitable timber will be cut and put on one side to season-Much labour is required, and according to the character of the forest, high-woods or bush, the felling and clearing may cost anything from £3 to £6 an acre. It is usual to leave all trees and bushes on the ridges for 50 ft. to 100 ft. each side. This serves several useful purposes, the chief of which is that of protecting the cacao from wind. To ensure this it is advisable to plant “ wind-breaks,” belts of native trees which are known to withstand gales, at right-angles to the pre-vailing wind, at intervals of about 1,000 ft. Useful trees for this purpose are mango, Para rubber tree and galba (Calophyllum calaba). Bamboo is approved by some planters, but others contend that its roots spread too readily, that it dries the soil, and that it is dangerous in case of fire. A good wind-belt consists of mangotræs interspaced with a hibiscus hedge. (Strange, is it not, that the hibiscus, cultivated in England—in greenhouses—for its glorious crimson flowers, should be used in the tropics merely to “ stop a hole to keep the wind away! ”) Planting and Seed Selection. Having determined the position of roads and drains, and having got the ground cleaned and thoroughly well turned, the planter proceeds to line out the ground and put stakes where the cacao is to be planted. The distance these stakes are apart will depend on the fertility of the soil and the kind of cacao planted—for Forastero, 18 ft. on rich land, 15 ft. on good land, and 12 ft. on poor land. Criollo trees have generally been planted about 12 ft. apart but Van Hall considers 15 ft. a more suitable distance. What a wonderful difference it would make to ease of cultivation if all trees were planted a sufficient distance apart to use a plough! In most countries the trees occupy the corners of squares; there are advantages in the