Vol. VIII. No. 182. 



THE AGUICULTURAL NEWS. 



117 



CACAO FERMENTATION. 



A German scientist, A. Schiilte, lately jiubli^hed 

 a bulletin givinsx an account ot studies and experi- 

 ments conducted in Cameroon, ifl Germany, and in 

 St. Thome. Tlie pamjihlet contains directions for 

 harvesting, fermenting, drying, and shipping cacao, and 

 also includes a number ot suggestions relative to the 

 practical application, on a commercial scale, of 

 processes similar to those used by the antiior in his 

 experiments. Herr Schulie's booklet wa.s reviewed in 

 the Experiment Stailon Itecord for Januai-y last, 

 from which the followingsummaty of the investigations 

 reiatinjr to cacao fermentation are e.Ktracted : — 



A.s a result of the.-ie iuvestij;atiiins, cacao fennentatioij 

 is divided into two ■■stages : (1 ) the alchoiiol and acetic acid 

 fernicutation, and (2) o.\idatior.. The author bases the 

 production of good cacao upon the correct e.xecution of both 

 stages. During the alcohol and acetic acid fermentation, tlie 

 seeds are freed from the [ailp, and tlib' shells softened, thus 

 favouring oxidation. The oxidation of the a.-^tringent siil>- 

 stances is the important feature of cacao fermentation. An 

 oxidation temperature of from 40° F. to 45° F. appears to lie 

 most favourable for tin; quality of the ]iroduct,and a mrastme 

 content of 15 per cent was fourjd to ])c mo.st favourable to 

 oxidation, and at the same time unfavourable to butyiic .-icid 

 feiineutation and the formation of moidd. 



When the oxidation process is conducted .satisfactf>rily, 

 a delicate white efflorescence forms on the beans, and the 

 appearance of this may be taken as an indication that the 

 cacao has been properly oxidized. Oxidation should be 

 continued only until the majority of the lieans have taken on 

 a brown colour, as if the process is continued until all the 

 beans are brown, the Havonr and aroma are weakemd. 



The proper length of time for oxidation can only be 

 determined by expeiience, and may vary in different cacao 

 districts, and with difi'erent kinds of cacao, as well as with 

 diflerent harvesting melhod.s. 



MAIZE CULTIVATION. 



In the West Indies, maize e.i'nnot be considered 

 as a crop of first-rate importance, and is usually grown 

 as a ' catch crop,' previous to planting sugar-cane. 

 Kegarded from this point of view, the cidtivation and 

 manuring given to fields planted with corn are generally 

 insufficient to result in the production of a full return, 

 and instead of crops of from 2-5 to 70 bu.shels such a.s 

 are commonly reaped in the Uijited States under 

 superior conditions of tillage ami manuring, the planter 

 in these islands usually obtains yields much smaller in 

 quantity. 



In view of the large quantities of nuiize annually 

 imported into these colonies, and the extent to which 

 this cereal is used as a constituent of foods both for 

 hnnvin beings and for animals, it is a matter worthy of 

 consideration whether a larger supply could not be 

 profitably produced in the West Indies, either by 

 extending the acreage, or — through the introduction of 

 improved varieties, and superior tillage — by increasing 

 the yield per acre. 



The varieties of maize are extremely numerou?, many 

 liuudveds having been recorded. The differences between 



the varieties are great, so that there is abundant scope for 

 tlie exercise of judgement in selecting and adapting the kind 

 liest suitc<l to a given locality and soil. 



The best soil suited for thiss crop is a deep sandy loam ; 

 it .should contain a good supply of humus, and be retentive 

 of moisture, although satisfijiitory drainage is essential. Stiff 

 clays are not well adapted for maize culture. The depth of 

 the soil and the content of humus are important factors, as 

 determining the feeding'area of the long roots of the plant, 

 and intiuencing tlie su|iply of moisture, of which this crop 

 reipiires a liberal quantity. ,' 



In order to ensure good growth, .seed selection is very 

 uece.ssary in maize cultivation. This operation is very 

 generally practi.sed among maize growers in the Southern 

 United States, and tlie manner in which it is performed 

 considerably iiitiucncps the yield obtained in the next crop. 

 Only the best cobs of the best stalks are used for seed 

 purposes, these being selected in the field ; and all cobs that 

 are at all poor in size, shape, or fulness are passed over and 

 rejected. 



The land should be plouy;hed deeply, and afterwards 

 cultivated to a fine tilth jircparatory to planting maize ; these 

 o[ierations undoubtedly result in bringing about a better crojj. 

 Seeds are planted in rows— either by hand labour, or by 

 means of an implement such as the ' Planet .Junior ' cultivators. 

 The rows are from :i to 4 feet apart, and two or three seeds 

 are planted at distances of :! to oh feet from each 

 other in the rows ; the more fertile the laud, and the greater 

 the supply of moisture, the more closely can the ]ilants be 

 allowed to grow. It will, of course, be borne in mind that 

 if the stalks stand thickly in the rows, the crop is more likely 

 to suffer from drought than when planting is done more thinly. 



Cultivation between the rows — in oider to keep down 

 weeds, and to piovidc a dust mulch for the conservation of 

 moisture in the soil — should be started early, and maintained 

 throughout the growing period of the croji. Weakly plants 

 are thinned out, and the soil is earthed up around the growing 

 plants at an early stage. 



Maize demands a good, supply of iJant food, and gives 

 profitable returns as the result of thorough manuring. It 

 has been calculated that a cro|i of 50 bushels of shelled corn 

 per acre, with the accompanying stalks removes from the 

 .soil, on the avenigc, 80 It), of nitrogen, 29 lb. of phosphoric 

 acid, and 55 lb. of pota.sh. This is a far greater quantity of 

 fertilizing constituents than is withdrawn when a crop of 

 Sea Island cotton is grown. The smaller corn crops, of the- 

 West Indies remove, of course, only a proportionate quantity, 

 but the above fignies show the need of manuring when 

 maize is grown. Phosphate nuxy be given, partly as supers 

 phosphate and partly as bone meal, while nitrogen may use- 

 fully be supplied in the organic form, as cotton-seed meal, etc» 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Secretary of State for the Colonies has 

 approved of the appointment of Mr. F. W. South, B A., 

 Honours in Natural Sciences, in Part I and Part II of 

 the Tripos, of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, to be 

 Mycologist and Lecturer in Agricultural Science on the 

 staff of the Imperial Department of Agriculture for the 

 West Indies, in succession to Mr. F. A. Stockdale, B.A., 

 F.L.S. Mr. South arrived at Barbados on April 12 by 

 the R.M.S. ' Orinoco.' 



