Dr. A, Schulte im Hofe 121 



height. Alono- the walls on both sides of the 



i> O 



platform run boxes, whose outer walls are 

 fixed, the inner and dividing walls consisting 

 of loose boards fitting into grooves, so that they 

 can be adjusted to any height required. As 

 soon as the cacao has reached a temperature 

 of 45 C. (113 F.) it is poured into the boxes 

 and covered over. The next day it is trans- 

 ferred to the next box, and this process is 

 continued until the desired degree of oxidation 

 has been attained. Should the temperature 

 of the beans sink to about 30 C. (86 F.) 

 before the process of oxidation is completed, 

 the cacao is warmed up again. But since the 

 temperature of this oxidation-house is fairly 

 high, there is but little risk of the beans 

 becoming too cool. 



The size of such an oxidation-house will 

 naturally depend on the quantity of cacao to 

 be cured ; a good guide is to calculate i cubic 

 metre (3 5 '3 15 cub. ft.) to about 500 kilos of 

 cacao (1,100 lb.). Hence a platform 2 m. (6 ft. 

 6 in.) wide by 5 m. (16 ft. 3 in.) long, able to 

 take a layer of cacao 20 to 25 cm. (8 to 10 

 in.) in depth, will serve to warm 1,000 to 

 1,250 kilos (19 to 24 J cwt.), for which oxida- 

 tion boxes of about 2 to 2\ cubic metres 

 (about 70 to 87*5 cub. ft.) capacity will be 

 needed. 



Should a tunnel-drying plant be available, 

 it would be a convenience to build the oxida- 

 tion-house in such a way that the trolleys can 



