October i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



34i 



more or less darkened by an infusion of fungi. Cacao 

 shipped with a slight internal humidity generally improves 

 by dry fermentation during the voyage. 



After trying the above-mentioned experiments, and not 

 having obtained any really reliable result, I was induced 

 to make certain experiments with artificial desiccation. 

 These experiments have been carried on for the last three 

 years with more or less success. Some time ago the Cacao 

 Planters' Association imported one of Gibbs' drying mach- 

 ines. In this machine the cacao is caused to revolve round 

 a heated tube. The machine remained for months untried, 

 and to further my experiments I determined to give it a 

 trial. After some difficulty I obtained the machine, and 

 it has materially assisted me in arriving at what I 

 believe to be complete success. The cost attending the 

 experiments with the machine was very great, as it was 

 unsuited in character and form for cacao-drying. I have 

 dried cacao in seven hours, and from the experience gained 

 in the experiments detailed, I have devised a simple machine, 

 which contains every requisite for complete artificial desicc- 

 ation. 



My formula for producing the cacao which was shown 

 at the recent exhibition is as follows: — After taking the 

 cacao from the fermenting bin, it is thoroughly washed 

 in running water to completely remove all fermented and 

 mildewed pulp and other foreign matters. The cacao is 

 then drained for half an hour, placed in the first dessicator 

 for two hours, then removed and placed in the finisher 

 for three or four hours. This produced a cacao perfectly 

 dried and in no respect parched. The result afforded me 

 much gratification and pleasure, and enabled me to conclude 

 that cacao could be dried independent of climatic influences. 

 I further learned that any quality of cacao could be pro- 

 duced with certainty by merely modifying the curing oper- 

 ations. 



Before leaving the subject there are a few further re- 

 marks which I wish to make. All cacao produced for 

 sale is prepared in an extremely unclean and unsuitable 

 manner, deception is too frequently used (and unfortunately 

 not sufficiently decried in the market) to cover the colour 

 of nibs. Articles such as starch, gum, red-ochre, rancid 

 butter, mud, clay, sour orange and many ot'ier undesirable 

 devices are employed. To this artificial desiccation says 

 decidedly : — " It is wrong." 



The same energy and attention given to the internal 

 improvement of the nib would give more profit and a better 

 name to the article. Another fact I discovered and which 

 is a highly important one in the production of good cacao, 

 more especially when the estate contains many varieties, 

 is, that to form a superior article it is essential that the 

 trees be past maturity ; a better quality and size of fruit 

 is thus ensured. 



I have observed cacao from the matured estates of this 

 Island, and I am of opinion that had it been properly 

 treated by artificial desiccation, the article would have been 

 in every respect unsurpassable, ensuring to the manu- 

 facturer cacao suited to his requirement. 



The paper having been read, Mr. Lange addressed the 

 meeting and, speaking from his experience as a cocoa 

 planter, said that it was certainly a very interesting subject 

 for every one, and that great attention had been paid to 

 the paper just read. He wished, however, to offer Mr. 

 Tucker au opportunity of giving some further explanation. 

 He did not think that Mr. Tucker had arrived at a con- 

 clusion, as to what would be the proper test to be em- 

 ployed in the fermentation; of cocoa, that was to say, what 

 was the last fermentation — the turning point. There was 

 first the vinous fermentation, secondly, it underwent what 

 was called the acetic fermentation ; and thirdly, there was 

 t' e germination. It was obvious your cocoa if too much 

 fermented would develop much germination. M'hat the 

 coc -a planter wished to know was the turning point at 

 which to arrive when the acetic fermentation ceased and 

 germination began. After a certain number of days in 

 the curing house some of the beans were taken and split 

 with a penknife, and certain things were observed, by 

 which thev guided themselves. Now, as to the degree 

 of heat you would allow, in fermentation Mr. Tucker 

 mentioned 111! degrees. 

 Mr. Tucker: 120 degrees. 



Mr, Lange said that Mr. Tucker had always used 120 

 in order to have successful fermentation, but that was only 



one test. He might ask for information also with regard 

 to the drying process ; what Mr. Tucker called " rot," he 

 (Mr. I.auge) supposed was mildew. 



Mr. Tucker said that, externally, it was the rotten pulp, 

 after eight days' fermentation. Then, decomposition takes 

 place internally. That was what he meant by the rot of 

 lengthened fermentation. After being fermented for a 

 certain time internal decomposition takes place and rot 

 was the ending of it. 



Mr. Lange said that Mr. Tucker's ordinary process of 

 drying was what was done on all cocoa estates, but with 

 regard to the artificial experiment of Gibbs, he found that 

 Mr. Tucker's description of it was not exactly what it 

 should be. It was to his (Mr. Lange's) recollection, a 

 cylinder into which the cocoa was placed, with a furnace 

 at the other end of the cylinder, and by means of a fan 

 you drove hot air into that cylinder. Some members of 

 the Cocoa Planters' Association subscribed to get out that 

 machine. He mentioned this becnuse Mr. Tucker described 

 it there as a hot air tube, and because he (Mr. Lange) 

 was now preparing an experiment on the principle of the 

 hot air. He would not like to say that the principle had 

 already been experimented upon; but what they wanted 

 was, to determine when the cocoa was sufficiently fer- 

 mented, and certainly, should the other members follow 

 the example of Mr. Tucker, it would create discussion and 

 advance the proper curing of cocoa by fermentation or 

 by drying. 



Mr. Tucker said he was glad that his paper had brought 

 from Mr. Lange his practical and theoretical experience. 

 In reply to Mr. Lange, with regard to the fermentation 

 of cocoa, his (Mr. Tucker's) experience was only practical. 

 After six days, he took all his cocoa beans, and from 

 their colour and their taste, decided whether the fer- 

 mentation was sufficient or not. On his estate, where he 

 had a variety of cocoa growing, hi6 cocoa came in and 

 he was obliged to accept it as it came. Consequently, 

 he had had to contend with serious loss. In fermenting, 

 he had been accustomed every day to open half a dozen 

 or more beans, and there he saw the different varieties 

 of cocoa and the colour that they presented. The best 

 cocoa lightened much quicker than the harder cocoa. He 

 was not sufficiently acquainted with the names of the 

 different varieties, but could only mention them by de- 

 scription. The good cocoa was sufficiently fermented in 

 from three to four days; that cocoa lightened internally. 

 On the second day it was considerably lighter ; on the 

 first day it was of a dark pink or purple colour ; next 

 day it was of a different colour; the third day it became 

 of a pure light colour. He was speakiug now of what 

 he considered the first class cocoa. The fourth day it 

 was almost cream colour; if it was not cream colour through- 

 out, the internal portion was cream colour. From that 

 he took it to be sufficiently fermented. Now, in the interior 

 of the bean there was a peculiar kind of dark purple 

 liquid ; this, after the first, second, and third day, was 

 profuse throughout the whole beau, and if this liquor 

 was squeezed from the nib, the result would be dry veget- 

 able matter which was comparatively tasteless; it had a 

 slight flavour of cocoa, but nothing more. This was the 

 reason why he called attention here to that matter, which 

 he thought, was the matter to which the whole of the 

 aroma and value of the bean and the food depended. The 

 good cocoa fermented up to the third day contained this 

 matter very profusely. As far as his experience went, 

 if you wanted to produce a first class cocoa, you stopped 

 the first day and allowed the solution to be absorbed 

 while the cocoa was drying, not during fermentation. In 

 the other cocoa it was of a-. waxy appearance, and it was 

 almost impossible to give that colour; the beans altered 

 in colour considerably but never to the same extent. 



Mr. Lange: When does this happen — on the first, second, 

 or third day ? Then what course of fermentation had 

 your cocoa — was it during the vinous fermentation. 



Mr. Tucker : I should imagine it is in the alcoholic fer- 

 mentation. Mr. Tucker went on to say that he was not 

 capable of explaining the chemical process of fermentation. 

 He thought that all cocoas could with a proper amount of 

 fermentation be made good — that all could be made a good 

 merchantable article by observation and practice. Bnt,he said 

 he had been obliged to ferment with a mixture of all varieties 

 of cocoa. He thought eight days was the time required for 



