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moisture in the bean detaches itself easily. After two days 

 and nights, the cacao is taken from the stove and exposed to 

 the heat of the sun upon a stone floor, where it is turned every 

 quarter of an hour, as otherwise the beans would draw too much 

 heat on one side from the stones. 



The first two days the cacao must lie only a couple of hours 

 on the drying floor, that being so fresh it may not bake at 

 once too much, but that the drying may proceed gently and by 

 degrees. The third and fourth day it must remain there the 

 whole day, but incessantly turned, for the cacao not be scorched 

 or cracked by the heat of the sun and stones combined. 

 After this it must be carried to the shed-lofts, where it is further 

 dried by exposure for 8 to 10 days to the free play of the wind, 

 taking care to turn them twice a day to keep off the insects. 

 This being done the cacao is ready for packing and delivery. 



Some very good, productive plantations are without sweating- 

 houses, but the cacao is sweated in large heaps in the sheds 

 below. The sweating in separate hot-houses is much preferable, 

 because the complete exclusion of the outer air preserves the 

 aroma of the cacao, while by sweating in heaps, the upper layer 

 suffers too much from the outer air, which acts upon it as a 

 cooler, dispels the aroma, and renders the sweating less equal. 

 Besides this the exhalations arising from these heaps mount 

 further up into the loft, and finding there no escape, precipitate 

 and act very injuriously upon the half dried cacao in the shed, 

 covering it with moisture. 



Such cacao as is not considered sufficiently dry to be carried 

 to the loft, must be laid in heaps in the lower shed ; this will 



