2o6 The Fermentation of Cacao 



bags of 200 Ib. each, and would cost about 

 ^210 in England. It is obvious that if we 

 can cope with times of pressure, the rest of the 

 year's crop can be easily safeguarded. The 

 machines of Emil Passburg, of Berlin, are more 

 expensive, but it is only fair to say that their 

 reputation is very high. Apparently Pass- 

 burg's machine, capable of taking 3 cwt. of 

 wet cacao in one charge, costs ^300 in 

 Berlin without boiler or pump, while a Pass- 

 burg dryer to contain 13 cwt. per charge is 

 quoted at *joo l complete with boiler, pump, 

 and extra trays ; one pump and condenser can, 

 however, be used with three or four drying 

 chambers for very large crops. This latter 

 machine should turn out six and a half bags 

 of 200 Ib. each of dry cacao per day, and 

 should therefore be able to handle a crop of 

 800 bags per annum ; its cost, therefore, in 

 comparison with the price of Gordon dryers, 

 does not seem excessive. The Passburg dryers 

 have apparently gained repeat orders from cacao 

 estates in the Cameroons and West Africa, and 

 they are also used for rubber drying in the 

 Malay States. It is quite possible that 

 difficulties may arise at the outset in the 

 manipulation of these dryers, and it is this fear 

 that deters planters with little or no engineering 

 experience from putting down their hundreds 

 of pounds for. new machinery. I again suggest 

 that it is the business of the different State- 



lf rhis ought to be. about ^825. H. H. S. 



