Turning to the Old World, we find in the West African Gold Coast a typical example of the possibilities of cultivation on a small scale, under proper and competent guidance, and with primitive processes; for not only as far as quantitative progress is concerned, but also in respect to quality, the varieties produced by the natives of this English colony improve from year to year. Kameroon, a district which like the Gold Coast has only taken to the cultivation of cacao of late years, provides us with an exactly opposite instance. Here the plantation system has been in force right from the commencement of the industry, with all its technically perfected implements, yet nevertheless the perfecting of the cacao proceeds very slowly, and it will be a long time before the produce of this land can lay any serious claim to specification as a variety for consumption. Its large proportion of acid ingredient has been above all detrimental, almost completely precluding its use as any other but a mixing sort, although some plantations have been yielding comparatively mild cacaos now for several years. We cannot stay to discuss the problem of causes in this instance, and whether the fact that the Forastero species has been exclusively planted prejudices the developement of the cacao, or the climatic conditions, must remain an open question. Let it be noted in passing that the Forastero Bean has taken universal possession of Africa, as well in Kameroon, as in the Gold Coast, on the island of St. Thomas and also in the Congo Free State. The Bahia cacao, again, owes its origin to the Forastero seedling.
We will refrain from any further elaboration of this introduction, however, so as not to anticipate the following review of the various commercial sorts of cacao.
~Mexico~, the classical cacao land, scarcely of importance to the general trade, as the greater part of its entire produce, comprising about three thousand tons yearly, is consumed in its native country. Of the other Central American states, next to
~Nicaragua~, whose large Venezuelan-like beans find their way to the Hamburg market from time to time,
~Costa Rica~ is above all worthy of mention. This state began to export its home produce in 1912, averaging for that year about 60 tons; and in 1909, the export had already increased to 350 tons, mostly to England and North America, through the shipping port called Port Limon.