CACAO CULTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES. 17 



and at the same time in such good demand that it is with some hesitancy 

 that the process of fermentation is recommended for general use. 



But it is also equally certain that localities in these Islands will be 

 planted to cacao where all the conditions that help to turn out an unri- 

 valed natural product are by no means assured. For such places, where 

 the rank-growing, more coarse-flavored, and bitter-fruited Forastero may 

 produce exceptionally good crops, it will become incumbent on the planter 

 to adopt some of the many methods of fermentation, whereby he can cor- 

 rect the crudeness of the untreated bean and receive a remunerative price 

 for the "processed" or ameliorated product. 



"Undoubtedly the Strickland method, or some modification of it, is 

 the best, and is now in general use on all considerable estates where the 

 harvest is 200 piculs or upward per annum, and its use probably assures 

 a more uniform product than any of the ruder processes in common use 

 by small proprietors. 



But it must not be forgotten that the present planters in the Philip- 

 pines are all small proprietors, and that until such time as the maturing 

 of large plantations calls for the more elaborate apparatus of the Strick- 

 land pattern, some practice whereby the inferior crude bean may be eco- 

 nomically and quickly converted into a marketable product can not be 

 avoided. As simple and efficacious as any is that largely pursued in some 

 parts of Venezuela, where is produced the famous Caracas cacao. 



The beans and pulp are thrown into wooden vats that are pierced with 

 holes sufficient to permit of the escape of the juice, for which twenty-four 

 hours suffices. The vat is then exposed to the sun for five or six hours, 

 and the beans, while still hot, are taken out, thrown into large heaps, .and 

 covered with blankets. 



The next day they are returned to the box, subjected to a strong sun 

 heat and again returned to the heap. This operation is repeated for sev- 

 ral days, until the beans, by their bright chocolate color and suppleness, 

 indicate that they are cured. If, during the period of fermentation, rain 

 is threatened or occurs, the beans are shoveled, still hot, into bags and re- 

 tained there until they can once more be exposed to the sun. Before the 

 final bagging they are carefully hand rubbed in order to remove the ad- 

 herent gums and fibrous matters that did not pass off in the primary 

 fermentation. 



In Ceylon, immediately after the beans have been fermented they are 

 washed, and the universally high prices obtained by the Ceylon planters 

 make it desirable to reproduce here a brief resume of their method. The 

 fermentation is carried on under sheds, and the beans are heaped up in 

 beds of 60 cm. to 1 meter in thickness upon a platform of parallel joists 

 arranged to permit of the escape of the juices. This platform is elevated 

 from the ground and the whole heap is covered with sacks or matting. 

 The fermentation takes from five to seven days, according to the heat of 

 2251 2 



