BY-PRODUCTS OF THE INDUSTRY 163 



(dimethylxanthine). This is a very valuable chemical 

 substance (see remarks in chapter on Food Value of 

 Cocoa and Chocolate), and the extraction of theo- 

 bromine from shell is already practised on a large 

 scale, and promises to be a profitable industry. Ordin- 

 ary commercial samples of shell contain from V2 to 

 1*4 per cent, of theobromine. Those interested should 

 study the very ingenious process of Messrs. Grousseau 

 and Vicongne (Patent No. 120,178). Many other 

 uses of cacao shell have been made and suggested ; 

 thus it has been used for the production of a good coffee 

 substitute, and also, during the shortage of sawdust, 

 as a packing material, but its most important use at 

 the present time is as cattle food, and its most im- 

 portant abuse as an adulterant of cocoa. 



The value of cacao shell as cattle food has been known 

 for a long time, and is indicated in the following analysis 

 by Smetham (in the Journal of the Lancashire Agri- 

 cultural Society, 1914). 



Analysis of Cacao Shell. 



Water 9-30 



Fat 3-83 



Mineral Matter 8' 20 



Albuminoids 18' 81 



Fibre 13-85 



Digestible Carbohydrates 40'oi 



IOO'OO 



From these figures Smetham calculates the food units 

 as 102, so that it is evident that cacao shell occupies a 

 good position when compared with other fodders : 



Food Units. 



Linseed cake 133 Maize (new crop) 99 



Oatmeal 117 Meadow hay 68 



Bran 109 Rice husks 43 



English wheat 106 Wheat straw 41 



Cacao shells 102 Mangels 12 



