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will assist greatly in obtaining what is known as an even ferment. 

 A sample thus treated will be observed to take on a clear 

 mahogany colour, and upon opening a bean, instead of its being 

 " cheesy " as is usually the case with unfermented material, the 

 interior will have the appearance of leavened bread, i.e., having air 

 spaces traversing the entire beans, and the two conditions may justly 

 be compared to leavened and unleavened bread. It is generally be- 

 lieved, that to ferment for as much as 8 to 10 days is somewhat risky, 

 as in wet weather the sample will be in danger of being spoilt. This 

 idea is erroneous, for it will be observed that a highly fermented 

 sample has much less gum and moisture about it. and therefore takes 

 a shorter time to dry ; in fact, half the amount of heat necessary for 

 drying an unfermented s unple in a given number of days, will dry 

 a well fermented one. 



DRYING. 



As soon as the Cacao is placed on the drying floor labourers 

 should be started to clean it, removing all black grains wherever 

 seen. This being finished it can be left with the dryer, whose duty 

 it is to keep walking through it, turning it with his feet in a simple 

 but well known manner, which allows all the beans to have the same 

 exposure to the sun. It is advisable to keep the beans in a layer 

 not less than 3 to 4 inches in depth upon the drying floor, for the 

 first two days in dry weather. Should wet weather prevail the 

 planter will here have to bring his own common sense and experience 

 into use and take every advantage of the weather to dry his beans 

 as quickly as possible. One of the chief rules in drying is to take 

 special care to dry the floor of the drying house before spreading 

 the beans upon it. This will be always found necessary, for once the 

 dryer has a dry floor to work upon, rain may fall for several days 

 but the sample will stand little risk 'of being spoilt. 



The floor may be dried by moving the cacao about the floor, and 

 gathering the wet beans together in small heaps every two or three 

 hours, thus allowing the sun to dry all uncovered floor spaces. Thus 

 treated the beans will be found the following morning to be quite 

 free from mildew. If kept on a wet floor continuously Fungi or mildew 

 is sure to be produced. 



CLAYING. 



In good weather il is generally found that the second day after 

 exposure is the best time to apply clay. The red clay used for this 

 purpose in Trinidad is found in quantity on several estates. 

 This material should first be well dried in the sun after which 

 it niusi be pulverised in an ordinary wooden mortar, reducing it 

 to a fine dry powder, which when finally sifted, will he but little 

 coarser than wheat flour. When reduced to this state' it is 

 ready for use. In our process a dry powder is always used, 

 but some operators advocate its application in a liquid form. The 

 latter method in our npini.in .Iocs not give such good results as when 

 the clay is applied as a dry powder. When applying the claj the 

 bean.- should he drawn together in small heaps of about 2 barrels each, 

 and men should he chosen weighing not more than 120 to 140 lbs. to 

 tread or dance on the top of the heaps with naked feet while women 

 and hoys sitting around the base of the heap repeatedly throw up the 



