324 



COCOA 



CHAP. 



in little baskets or boxes, and these are emptied into 

 small waggons, which are taken to the " seda," the 

 buildings where the fermentation and drying take 

 place. 



Fermentation. The cocoa seeds are put into wooden 

 boxes to ferment ; on some estates they remain there 

 for five or six days until the fermentation is finished, 

 and are not turned over at all. On other estates one 



By permission of Mr. Munteiro de Mcndonm. 



FIG. 107. Piling up the cocoa pods for shelling plantation "Boa Entrada," 



San Thome. 



box remains empty ; after three days the cocoa is turned 

 over thoroughly and then transferred to another box. 



When the fermentation is finished the seeds must 

 be dried. In the more elevated parts of the island and 

 in the south, where rain falls during the greater part 

 of the year, artificial drying is necessary. In the north, 

 however, the cocoa can be dried in the sun. 



On the estate of Boa Entrada the wet seeds are first 

 spread out in thin layers on stone floors, for a couple of 

 hours. When the drying has well set in, they are put 



