194 COCOA 



opened. The seeds are placed in heaps on mats or 

 banana leaves spread upon the ground, or upon wooden 

 platforms raised about 3 ft. from the ground. These 

 heaps are covered up with banana leaves, matting, or 

 some similar material. Here they are left for about three 

 days. As the heaps are rarely turned, fermentation is 

 not regular throughout the mass. The process of wash- 

 ing the seeds after fermentation is losing favour. 



Curing is carried out by spreading the fermented seeds 

 thinly in the sun on mats placed upon the ground or upon 

 raised wooden platforms. This process also is too 

 restricted. 



From the preceding remarks it will be apparent that 

 the product is frequently offered for sale in a half-dried 

 condition, and contains many shrivelled, immature seeds, 

 as well as seeds which have been subjected to different 

 degrees of fermentation. 



In outlying districts the bulk of the crop is purchased 

 by native middlemen, who, on behalf of their European 

 employers, pay a uniform price for all grades of cocoa 

 offered for sale. As there appears to be a constant and 

 large demand for low-grade cocoa, at prices remunerative 

 to the grower, there is little incentive to him to raise the 

 standard of his product. 



As already mentioned, the variety grown is that known 

 as Amelonado, and its seeds, however well grown and 

 prepared, are inferior in quality to those of Criollo and 

 other varieties which produce seeds with light-coloured 

 cotyledons that are less stringent in flavour. 



That cocoa superior to that usually exported from 

 Nigeria can be produced by more careful cultivation and 

 preparation is shown by the fact that, on the better 

 managed plantations in the Agege district, the crops 

 realize prices equal to those obtained for the best Gold 

 Coast cocoa. 



Cocoa from one of these plantations, which was pre- 

 pared by the Department of Agriculture, has been valued 

 at as high as 6is. per cwt., when ordinary West African 

 cocoa was only fetching from 485. to 565. per cwt. The 

 cocoa in question was fermented for six days and then 

 sun dried. 



