COCOA 53 



pulp as possible by washing in a stream, and this is more 

 easily effected with the over-ripe beans or with those 

 which have been allowed to " sweat " or ferment. After 

 washing, the beans are spread thinly upon mats, raised 

 upon rough frames, in order to dry them in the sun. An 

 illustration is given showing this process (Fig. 17). Such 

 is the crude and irregular method employed by the 

 natives of the Gold Coast, who until quite recently had 

 little or no knowledge of the advantages of fermentation. 

 Owing to the small quantities with which they worked 

 at one time, it is probable that the fermenting action in 

 the pulp was seldom set up. During the last few years 

 attention has been given to this by the more intelligent 

 planters, and it is not uncommon to find that boxes and 

 barrels have been brought into use by them, and that 

 fermentation has been allowed to proceed for from four 

 to ten days with satisfactory results. Drying is still 

 conducted in the manner described above, and is often 

 incomplete, but, to remedy the defects of this, one of the 

 European buying firms has erected a drying machine, 

 in which all the cocoa bought is thoroughly dried before 

 shipment. 



The skilled cocoa planter of the West Indies and Ceylon 

 is careful to pick only those pods which are quite mature, 

 and, in order to do this, he is obliged to go over his 

 plantation frequently. Mature pods are those which have 

 assumed a yellowish or reddish colour, and considerable 

 experience is necessary to judge this with accuracy. 

 The pods are removed by means of a cutting instrument 

 called a " cocoa hook," with which care can be more 

 easily given to the preservation of the cushion. The 

 pods are placed in heaps and, in the case of small estates 

 where one day's picking is insufficient to procure a fer- 

 mentation, they are left for, perhaps, two days until a 

 sufficient quantity has been obtained. Sorting, according 

 to variety and degree of maturity, is resorted to before 

 opening, and, again, when cut open, care is taken to 

 separate such beans as are found over-ripe. This practice 

 is strictly adhered to in Ceylon, but is often disregarded 

 in the West Indies. No washing is done at this stage, 

 but the beans, with their pulp attached, are placed in 

 barrels, boxes, or vats for the purpose of fermentation, 

 which is brought about by the decomposition of the pulp, 



