Mr. George S. Hudson 205 



fact that the average "boucan" attendant is very 

 dilatory unless under direct supervision of the 

 "boss." In computing" the drying area neces- 

 sary it is safe to assume that on most estates 

 two-fifths of the crop is reaped within two 

 months, or, say, fifty working days ; therefore 

 a 25<D-bag estate would require to dry 100 

 bags within fifty clays, a 5oo-bag estate would 

 require to dry 200 bags within fifty days, and 

 so on. Taking two bags a day as a minimum 

 day's picking, even on a loo-bag estate (bags 

 of 200 Ib. dry) we should require to deal with 

 about 1,200 Ib. wet cacao per diem, or about 

 three charges of 400 Ib. each, at the busiest 

 time. Messrs. Scott's No. i machine would 

 contain 400 Ib. wet cacao each charge, with 

 a tray surface of 56 sq. ft., and the beans 

 2 in. thick. 1 Such a dryer would cost about 

 ;i4O 2 complete in England. The next size, 

 No. 2, can take 600 Ib. per charge, and 

 with three charges per day would dry three 



1 There must surely be something wrong here, but 

 although we returned the MS. to Mr. Hudson to be 

 corrected, he still passed these measurements. It is 

 impossible, however, for 400 Ib. wet cacao to be spread 

 over a space of 56 sq. ft. by 2 in. thick. H. H. S. 



2 1 believe these figures no longer hold good, even if 

 they were correct at the time. The Passburg Dryers, 

 at any rate, cost to-day (May, 1913) as follows : 

 No. 9, to take about 3 cwt. wet cacao, ^"360; No. 12, 

 to take 5 cwt, ^"430, deld. f.o.b. Hamburg. For such 

 sizes this works out at about i Ib. of fermented beans 

 per sq. ft. of heating surface, so that the price gives 

 some idea of the capacity of each size of stove. H. H. S. 



