Mr. George S. Hudson 193 



floor, this process of ridging is unnecessary, 

 but the seeds are continually being turned by 

 hand or some wooden instrument, such as the 

 ''palette" shown on p. 192. It is impossible 

 to get too much sun on the cacao during the 

 first day or two 1 ; the more sun and the more 

 frequently the cacao is turned the better the 

 sample, provided fermentation has done its 

 part. The cacao should be "picked over" 

 during the first day, all "placenta," empty 

 seed skins, pieces of pod, leaf and other 

 foreign matter removed, and all adhering 

 beans separated from one another. On the 

 morning of the second day, unless conditions 

 of sun, evaporation and mildew infection 

 have been very favourable, an almost im- 

 perceptible film of mildew is present on 

 the seeds which later on becomes quite un- 

 mistakable. On the morning of the fourth 

 day "dancing'' or "polishing" is generally 

 done, which process, as described later on, 

 removes the mildew more or less efficiently, 

 and substitutes an attractive gloss. Another 

 three to four days' good sunning with the 

 cacao, frequently placed four to five seeds thick, 

 completes the drying, although quite frequently 

 in unsettled weather the entire process of 



1 1 always found it better to close the house from 

 ii 2 during the first day, and from 11 i the second 

 day, as the excessive heat on the beans fresh from the 

 sweating-box caused them to shrivel and go " lean." 

 H. H.S. 



13 



