Dr. Axel Preyer 9 



evening. The contents of the third tank are 

 washed in the morning, and those of the other 

 two tanks are each brought into the suc- 

 ceeding tanks. The fermenting mass can 

 easily become over-heated during the second 

 day, and great care must be taken to avoid 

 this." 



The fermentation of cacao in Surinam, of 

 which the following is a short extract, is fully 

 described by Dr. Preuss in his earlier account 

 of his journey out there : " Ejght wooden 

 boxes, 1*5 m. broad, 2-25 m. deep and 1*7 m. 

 high, with inclined bottoms, are placed close 

 together in the small fermentation house, and 

 well shut in on all sides. These are filled with 

 the freshly-gathered cacao to at least i m. 

 high, and one of the boxes must always be 

 empty. Banana leaves serve as a covering, 

 and the wooden lid is closed. On the second 

 day the contents of each box are shovelled 

 into the succeeding receptacle, one again 

 remaining empty, and so on with daily 

 changes for five to eight days. In damp 

 weather the fermentation goes on better than 

 in dry. Air coming in spoils the ferment- 

 ing cacao. Only on the fourth day are 

 the boxes opened so as to encourage the fer- 

 mentation. In Surinam, the cacao, after being- 

 fermented, is immediately dried, and therefore 

 not washed." 



Finally, let us glance . at the methods in 

 general use in Ceylon. In this island the 



