136 The Fermentation of Cacao 



the sun are very different to those utilised 

 in the past. 



This rapid drying is not resorted to because 

 it is considered that better cacao is obtained 

 by its use, but because the old method would 

 take up too much room in the sheds, now that 

 the cacao plantations have increased so much 

 in size. In the old days indeed, cacao was a 

 secondary product of the coffee plantation, in 

 fact even at the very commencement of the 

 industry, the cacao was sometimes dried in 

 the sun when the coffee crops were abundant. 



The mode of fermentation, however, has 

 practically remained the same, except that now 

 the beans are usually placed in a special 

 fermentation or sweating-house ; that is to 

 say, a stone building, roofed with tiles, and 

 divided into five to eight compartments or 

 boxes made entirely of wood. 



In each of these sweating-boxes the cacao 

 remains lying in a heap for the space of one 

 day, to be turned into the next the following 

 morning, when at the same time care is taken 

 that the beans which were at first on the top 

 now go to the bottom. 



The floor of the boxes, which is also of 

 wood, is bored with a number of holes ; it is 

 built over a cement floor which slopes slightly 

 forwards. This enables the water or juice, 

 which exudes from the fruit pulp by reason 

 of the pressure of the heap, to flow into gutters 

 alongside of the boxes, and thence outside. 



