Preface 



IX. 



and very small, parcels, often down to i Ib. or 

 2 Ib. each, no two beans of which, when picked 

 up at random, had any points in common, and, 

 therefore, extremely unsatisfactory to roast up 

 and use, compared to the large parcels pro- 

 duced in, and purchasable from, such centres 

 as San Thome and Bahia. 



What we particularly want to avoid, and 

 what I hope the experiments described in this 

 book will help us to do away with to a large 

 extent, are the uneven and unsightly rows of 

 cacao samples to be seen on the counter of any 

 broker or dealer when offering such produce 

 for sale. Anyone with a month's experience 

 of the cacao trade will know the sort of lots 

 I refer to ; beans bright, dull, or grey mouldy 

 and reddish ; dark beans, black, mouldy, and 

 fiery red lying side by side, and far too often 

 mixed in the same tray or heap. Here is a 

 lot with a thin, light , almost straw-coloured 

 shell nearly as pale as cardamoms, there are 

 some Haitians or San Domingo, with a coat- 

 ing of mould over them that would be a 

 credit to a bottle of fine old crusty port. In 

 any case no two bags or trays are alike, 

 and the samples themselves show a most 

 regrettable mixture of colours and qualities 

 that should not be, since such a defect could 

 be so easily avoided, and will be, I trust, 

 after the results of the suggestions offered 

 in the following pages have been tested and 

 carried on to a final conclusion. 



