228 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 26, 1919. 



CACAO GROWERS AND THE COCOA 

 MANUFACTURER. 



Mr. A. W. Kiiapp, B.Sc, in the loHowiug article, 

 published in the West India Committee Cirtiddr for 

 Jui'.e 12, discusses the position of the cicoa nianufiic- 

 tiirer in regard to cacao cultivation. This discussion 

 arose out of an editorial in the Agric ultural News la.st 

 March, to which Mr. Knapp refers in the course of his 

 article. Mr. Knapp maintains that the cocoa manu- 

 facturer has been, and is ready to assise the grmver by 

 stating his exact reijuirements. While we admit the 

 manufacturer's willingness, we maintain that in the 

 present state of technical knowledge of c icio samples, 

 it is not possible for the manufacturer to enumerate 

 his requirements scientifically, that is definitely, in the 

 same way the cotton spinner can enumerate his require- 

 ments. The valua'ion of cacao samples is too <jualita- 

 tive, too much a matter of opinion to be satisfactory. 

 It is a subject calling for scientific study and 

 research. 



Th'! various points raised iu the 4Uotation from the 

 Agricttltui'al A^ezL's in the Ciicular oi .May I, as lo the need 

 for increased efncitncy in cacao cuUivaiion are very 

 interesting, and open a wide field for controversy. 

 Attention is called to the fact, that the producer^ of the 

 raw material are singuUrly ignorant of the reijuiretnents of 

 the users of that material, and it is contended that this ia 

 more the fault of the cocoa and chocolate manufacturers ihan 

 of the growers of cacao. 



The writer in the Neu^s adds that, doubtless much better 

 results could be obtained in the production of the raw 

 cacao, if the needs of the manufacturers were more 

 accurately known. It is only fair to the manufacturers to 

 state, th't they have always been willing to give their 

 opinion on any new cacao coming into the market. I refer 

 here to the reports which the Imperial Institute publishes 

 in their liullei in from time to time on cacao from countries 

 which are starting cultivation, and on e.xpcrimental lots of 

 cacao. The study of these reports would reve*l to the 

 ardent planter the particular properties in cacao which the 

 manufacturer specially seeks for, and it would show that, 

 while the manufacturers agree in a general way .is to their 

 requirements, they disagree in some of the suialler details. 



The organizers of the Congress of Tropical Agriculture 

 (he'd in [..ondon in 1914) al.so felt that it would be an 

 advantage if the needs of the manufacturers were actually 

 known, and at llieir request, Mr. \. P. I'.ooth and the writer 

 gave a paper on 'The \>ualities in Uacao desired by 

 Manufacturers.' In this paper, which is published 

 in the Transucthns, «ill be found a discussion oa unripe 

 C'Cao, tiat Vieans grubhy beans, etc., together with some 

 remarks on the effect of washing, drying, cleaning claying, 

 dancing and polishing from the iiianufa(!turers' pointof view. 

 In a general way, the planter already knows what the manu- 

 facturer wants, namely, sound, well-cured cacao. The manu- 

 facturer would be coming outside hi.s true province if he 

 attempted to tell the planter how to prepare the raw cacao, 

 but he may perhaps be permitted to say that, in his opinion, 

 if the planter only allows ripe pods to be gathered, ferments 

 for a rea.sonable peiiod, cures with care, and keeps the beans 

 drj', the cacao will have the appearance and [jropertiea 

 which the manufacturers desire. 'N'ou cannot make a silk 

 purse out of a sow's ear', and you caimot, by any method of 

 fermentation or curing, convert t/'alabacillo or Forastero 



7acao into OrioUo cacao. A planter can only do the best 

 he can with the cacao on his plantation. I'r^.bab.y the 

 simplest and nos: etfeciive means of educating the planter 

 as to the needs of the manufacturer, is for the manufasturer 

 to pay a higher price for the better cured cacao from .iny 

 pariiculir district One can but think that as long as the 

 difference in price of ordinary nnd estates c*>;ao from the 

 sime district rem-iins so small, any ^r.tempts on the part of 

 the manufacturer to explain eitactly what he wants will not 

 '•e very productive. Unfortunately, prices are beyond the 

 control of any individu'l minufacturer, and will continue 

 to be g )verned by the Neiv York and Earop-i.a markets. 

 It may be pointed out, however, that if the greater num'oer 

 of p anters in any leod'icinu area, ferment and cure the bean 

 in a conscientious manner, their etforts tend to raise the price 

 of the whole "i the c.ijao it ym that area. It would probably 

 be a cjnside.-able help to the {)lanters in various parts of the 

 world, if their .^ji icplturil Depvrtment, or Agricultural 

 Society, would purchase specimens from a London broker, 

 of all the kinds of beans submitted at any particular auoti 'U, 

 and exhiliit them t igelh^r with the prices they obtained. 

 There are planters who hive seenittleor nolhinj; of the 

 cacao produced in o'her countries, and h. comparison of the 

 beans and the prices cou'd not bat give them some 

 enlightment on this subject. 



The coraptri-on of the prices paid for varioiis graw'.hs 

 will show that the botanical variety is, if not the prin.".ipil, 

 one of the most impirtant factors influencing t.hes-f prices. 

 The prcestixe.i in 1918, though iniiuenced by disturbing 

 factors, give one some idea as to the effect of botanic 

 variety on prices. ''Vit'i Trinida i at 90j. per cwt., and 

 as equally well-pepired Ceylon at 100.f. per cwt., we see 

 the difference i ■ price due to Criollo and Forastero. On the 

 other hand, althoutfh Arriba and .Vlacha'a (Giayaqnil) cacao 

 is a finer bein than that of Trinidid. it is carelessly 

 prepared, an i hence only '>->|i.ins the same urice as Trinidad. 

 Grenada cacao is almo.it .lerfectly prepared, but it is a 

 mi.xture of Forastero nd Cala''acillo and the be ins are 

 the, smallest of all well-known cacaos, and have a high 

 pe'cencaae of shell, and hence we find its price fixed at 

 'S.o.t. per cwt. 



No improvements in fermentation or curing are like'y 

 to make Grenada cacao fetch the same as Ceylon, and it is 

 quite unnecessary to tell the (irenada planter that his beans 

 shouM conain no unfermented germinated, unripe, overripe 

 or grubby beans, becau.se t'le estates cacao from Grenada is 

 almost entirely fr e from these defectives. Indeed, the 

 standard of preparation on Trinidad and Grenada estates is 

 as hii.'h as anywhere in the world, and the cacao generally 

 contains as much as 94 per cent of perfectly prepared 

 bean-:. 



The manufacturer has occasionally to refuse cacao 

 because he finds that it has a foreign odour, due, 

 presumably, to imperfect fermentation. Such foreign 

 odours are rarely found in West, Indian cicio. but the 

 practic ' of allowing the sweatings' to soak into the ground 

 in the vicinity of the sweat-bo.ves, and decompose only a 

 a few yards from the beans, must occasion;^lly lower the 

 quality of the cacao produced. 



On the whole, the present day feeling of manufacturersr 

 is against the washing of cacao, nor is claying or dancing 

 recommended. As i'i well known, washing the fer.mented 

 bean mikes the skin thin and brittle, and henf-e detri- 

 mentally affects the keeping (jualities. Clay, in my opinion, 

 is camouflage. Certain estates in Trinidad do not clny 

 and their cacao keeps perfectly. Claying results in a more 



