l6s 



*HE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



Aueuat i, sHty. 



VALUE OF CAOAO PROPERTY. 



One of our merchants, Mr. George Fitt (already a suc- 

 cessful cacao planter, owning an old cacao property in 

 Ohaguane, purchased by him some years p-go of the Colon- 

 ial Company for »12,000, for which today he would not 

 take $100,000), has just become the owner, by purchase, of 

 a couple of adjoining cacao estates in Montserrat, oue 

 Tutelar and Esperanza, at present yielding about 150, and 

 the other El Salvador about 300 bags per annum. Being 

 young estates, and situated in a growiug quarter, they only 

 want ordinary care with barracks for more labourers and 

 some loose capital, to develop into a more valuable pro- 

 pert,. For the former Mr. Fitt has paid $20,000 and for 

 the latter 843,200 (£9,000). On the former we understand 

 there are about 18 to 19,000 trees (young, and in bearing), 

 and on the latter about 55,000. The first measures 91 

 acres, of which about 70 are in cultivation, and some acres 

 under contract to plant cacao, and the second 195a., of 

 which 180a. are cultivated. When the trees are all hear- 

 ing, they will give 600 bags a year. The trees are usually 

 12 feet apart. We are informed that the cacao trees 011 

 the Maracas Bat/ estate average 31b. a tree, about double 

 the mean of other estates taken together. The soil is a 

 r eh black humus. Upwards of 200 large pods were lately 

 c muted on one tree, but some of these may drop or wither 

 before maturity. They seemed to be more than the tree 

 could have the force to mature. It is reported of a fort- 

 unate cacao planter of one of the northern districts, who 

 h<\<\ the lurk not many years ago, to invest in a large, 

 old and backward property abounding in rich black soil, 

 That after deducting the losses caused by the hurricane 

 of September 1st, 1878, he cleared the sum of two thousand 

 ] ounds sterling from the operations of last crop. — Trinidad 

 Chronicle. 



SHELLAC. 



Many of our readers are interested in this singular sub- 

 stance, and we give its manner of manufacture and refin- 

 ing, as gleaned from reliable data, coupled with personal 

 observation. 



Ordinary commercial shellac, it is well known, when 

 treated with alcohol does not furnish a clear solution, but 

 always furnishes a more or less turbid, yellowish solution, 

 which, when warmed, clears itself by forming a brown 

 solution and throwing down a grayish-yellowish sediment. 

 Also by filtration through a good thick filter paper, a per- 

 fectly clear solution can be obtained, but this succeeds 

 only when there is about ten per cent of shellac in the 

 solution, and not in working in large quantities. Of course 

 there is no difficulty in subsequently concentrating the 

 thin solution by evaporating the access of alcohol, but the 

 filtration of large quantities is attended with loss of time 

 and materials as well as other difficulties, for it is not 

 easy to make the filters tight enough to prevent loss of 

 alcohol, and the filter paper has to be frequently changed. 



Dr. Peetz proposed to add finely-pulverized chalk or 

 carbonate of magnesia, which would carry down the light 

 particles of wax that make the solution turbid. This may 

 answer for small quantities, aud where the cost of mani- 

 pulation is not taken into account, but is absolutely use- 

 less for large quantities. 



Shellac is not a pure natural product, but is prepared 

 from stick lac by melting, straining and washing. Both 

 in stick lac and shellac there is substance which some 

 chemists call wax and others fat, that will not dissolve 

 in alcohol or ether, but is soluble in benzine, naphtha, 

 etc. Dr. Peetz adds to three parts of shellac solution one 

 part petroleum ether and shakes well. After standing 

 quietly for a few minutes the liquid forms two layers; 

 the upper light-brown one is petroleum ether containing 

 the dissolved fat or wax, while below is a clear yellowish 

 brown solution of shellac tn which only a little naphtha 

 adheres. On removing the upper layer and allowing it to 

 evaporate spontaneously, a white residue is obtained, con- 

 sisting of the fat that was in the solution. This fat can 

 be saponified with caustic alkali, but is not dissolved by 

 carbonated alkali, and on this property depends the new 

 process for refining of shellac. 



The water is heated tp boiling in a suitable kettle, the 

 soda is added next, and when that is dissolved the shellac 

 js put in slowly, waiting for the first portion to dissolve 



before adding more. The liquid has a pink colour and 

 the well-known agreeable odour of shellac. It is turbid 

 from the small amount of fat in it. After all the shellac 

 is dissolved, the solution is boiled a few months longer, 

 and the kettle covered with a tight-fitting wooden lid, 

 which is luted on with clay, so that no air can enter. It 

 is then allowed to cool slowly, aud when the cover is at 

 length removed, a thick cake of fat will be found floating 

 on the liquid. 



This is removed anil the liquid strained through a linen. 

 The shellac is then precipitated with dilute sulphuric acid 

 added drop by drop. The yellow shellac is washed until 

 it is no longer acid. The well pressed cake is put in boil- 

 ing water, when it becomes softened, so that it can be 

 worked by the hands into rods, strings or rolls, which are 

 next put in cold water containing glycerine, so that it will 

 harden quickly and then dry. 



The hot, soft shellac must be squeezed, wrung and pressed 

 to remove all the water. This refined shellac has a silver 

 white brilliant surface, is yellowish-brown within and must 

 be perfectly dry so as to dissolve without residue in al- 

 cohol. The presence of water in alcoholic solutions of any 

 resin makes it turbid and milky. — Independent Journal. 



♦ 



OOOOA-BUTTER. 

 The fruit of the cocoa-tree have an oily, more or less 

 bitter taste, which is the consequence of the presence of 

 a species of fat, known as cocoa-butter. 



As early as 1695 this matter was secreted and described 

 by Homberg in the Bistoire de V Acadimie Royale des 

 Sciences, 



The cocoa-nuts contain 12 per cent shell and S8 per cent 

 kernel, which latter consists on an average of one-half 

 oil or grease. The quantity of fat varies with the sort 

 of cocoa-beans; the accompanying table gives the com- 

 ponents of two of the best sorts of peeled cocoa: — 

 Caracas. Guaayquil. 



Fat 5220 per cent. 4 7 '85 per cent. 



Organic matter ... 39'00 „ 4150 



Ash 3-20 „ 4-45 



Water 5-60 „ 620 „ 



100-00 per cent. lOO'OO per cent. 



In former times the ground and roasted cocoa-beans were 

 boiled with a tenfold-quantity of water, the floating fat 

 was then skimmed off and the rest pressed out. This 

 method is no longer followed. At present the peeled and 

 roasted beans are first ground to a powder, the mass is 

 heated to 70 or 80 degrees Celsius, pressed out "between 

 heated plates, and the liquid thus expressed is then fil- 

 tered. The residue then still contains 10 a 15 per cent of 

 fat, which floats on the surface of the cocoa used for 

 chocolate, and is properly the cause of the slight stom- 

 achic discomfort felt by many who drink freely of such 

 chocolate. 



Cocoa-butter in its fresh strate is of a yellowish colour ; 

 by long standing the colour becomes whiter; it has a 

 sweet agreeable odour, which disappears on boiling with 

 alcohol. 



It is remarkable that this fat remains so long good, with- 

 out turning rancid. Its consistence is pretty hard : the 

 melting point is a little below 30 degrees Celsius, in some 

 sorts, however, at 25 degrees Celsius. 



Its specific weight is, at 15 degrees Celsius, between 

 089 and 0'91. 



Cocoa-butter consists chiefly of stearic acid and oleic 

 acid, and contains also small proportions of palmitic and 

 arachidic acid. It saponifies very easily. The component 

 parts are : — 



Oarbou 75-20 per cent. 



Hydrogen 1190 „ 



Oxygen 1290 „ 



10000 per cent. 

 The rather high price of cocoa-butter leads to many 

 adulterations. For this purpose wax, stearine, parafine and 

 suet are mostly made use of. To test the purity or genu- 

 ineness of the article the observation of the melting point 

 is especially resorted to ; this must not be below 25, nor 

 above 30 degrees Celsius. The melting point of cocoa- 

 butter mixed with fatty oils is below 25 degrees; that of 



