++ 6 tab. 4 ref. Sum. (En, Fr)

Four media (soil: sand: saw-dust and soil: cocoa shell medium) were tested for their suitability for growing cocoa seedlings. Girth, height and leaf area increments were used as criteria for determining the most suitable mixtures. For the soil: sand: saw-dust mixtures, two ratios viz. 3 parts of soil and two parts of sand (320), and 3 parts of soil and two parts of sand plus half the fertilizer dose (320H) are recommended. As regards the soil: shell medium the 1: 1 (i.e. 1 part soil: 1 part shell) and 3 : 5 mixtures were found to be the best. To reduce cost and quantity of the "black" soil the 3 : 5 mixture is recommended, but for ease of routine nursery mixing by unskilled labour, the 1 : 1 mixture is preferable.