170 The Fermentation of Cacao 



54 lb., curing and drying 72 lb., leaves 74 Ib. 

 dried cacao. 



The average dry return from these three lots 

 of 200 lb. wet cacao was nearly 72 lb., or a per- 

 centage of 36 per cent., a result considerably 

 lower than that hitherto generally accepted. 

 Taking the average weight of a barrel of wet 

 cacao at 300 lb., and the average return of dry 

 cacao from it at no lb., the result works out 

 very close to 36 per cent., and confirms the 

 above experiments which were conducted in 

 mediumly wet weather. 



In four experiments of fermenting and 

 curing Pentagona cacao, the fermentation was 

 thoroughly effected within four days, and the 

 net return of dried beans varied from 27^- per 

 cent, to 29 per cent, of the wet cacao treated. 



Is FERMENTATION PROFITABLE? 



In order to ascertain this point, two lots of 

 TOO lb. each of wet cacao were cured without 

 any fermentation beyond placing them to drain 

 for one night in a sweating box. After sun 

 drying in the usual way the average result 

 showed 39 per cent, of dry cured cacao, or 

 3 per cent, more weight than in the case of 

 fermented cacao. Takino- the value of the 



o 



unfermented cacao at 505. per cwt. (June, 1911) 

 and of " Fine Estates " fermented cacao at 

 565. per cwt., we find the 39 lb. of unfer- 

 mented to be worth T 75. 6d. gross, and the 

 36 lb. of fermented to be worth i8s. gross, 



