. Cocoa : all about it. Cocoa; cbk. HISTORY AND CULTIVATION OF THE PLANT. 2 1 Gathering crop is done as follows :—A number of men. each supplied with a long bambu rod surmounted by a Cacao hook and a cutlass, go carefully over the plantation and pick out all the ri|>e pods. These are known by their colour, or better still, by tapping them. If ripe they give a hollow sound, as the seeds are then loose and detached from the outer shell. In gathering |xxis the Cacao hook is used, but the lower ones are ta a cutlass. The Cacao hook is constructed so tha the pod either by a thrust or by a draw.
. Cocoa : all about it. Cocoa; cbk. HISTORY AND CULTIVATION OF THE PLANT. 2 1 Gathering crop is done as follows :—A number of men. each supplied with a long bambu rod surmounted by a Cacao hook and a cutlass, go carefully over the plantation and pick out all the ri|>e pods. These are known by their colour, or better still, by tapping them. If ripe they give a hollow sound, as the seeds are then loose and detached from the outer shell. In gathering |xxis the Cacao hook is used, but the lower ones are ta a cutlass. The Cacao hook is constructed so tha the pod either by a thrust or by a draw. I'ew operations upon a Cacao estate require gr gathering crop, and for the following reasons :— At the ^v where a pod is attached (formerly there is a soft cushion or "eye," from which all subsequeil and fruits arise. If this "eye" be damaged—as it inevitably would be if the pod were ruthlessly torn off instead of'being cut—the tree, as far as this point is concerned, becomes sterile. Hence, if a succession of these "eyes" are thus treated, the tree would sjKiedily become j)ractically valueless. When the pods have been gathered and left in small heaps near the trees, they are collected by women into larger heaps, and left till the next day. The heaps are generally placed near a , ojK-n space, where the processes of " breaking" and "drawing" can be con. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Historicus, 1835-1899. London : S. Low, Marston and Co.
Size: 1279px × 1954px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectcbk, booksubjectcocoa
