64 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE 



The average losses may be tabulated thus : 

 Weight of wet cacao from pod ioo 



Loss on fermentation 20 to 25 

 Loss on drying 40 



Cacao beans of commerce obtained 



35 to 4 



Spreading the Cacao Beans on mats to dry in the 



sun, Ceylon. 



The drying of cacao is an art. On the one hand, it is 

 necessary to get the beans quite dry (that is, in a con- 

 dition in which they hold only their normal amount of 

 water 5 to 7 per cent.), or they will be liable to go 

 mouldy. On the other hand, the husk or shell of the 

 bean must not be allowed to become burned or brittle. 

 Brittle shells produce waste in packing and handling, 

 and broken shells allow grubs and mould to enter the 

 beans when the cacao is stored. The method of drying 

 varies in different countries according to the climate. 

 Jose says: " In the wet season when Father Sol 

 chooses to lie low behind the clouds for days and your 

 cocoa house is full, your curing house full, your trees 



