COCOA-GROWING COUNTRIES 381 



much longer, up to seven or eight days ; while the finer, 

 newly-imported varieties are left fermenting only during 

 from two to four days. After fermentation the cocoa 

 is run on hand-barrows into the open air and is dried 

 in the sun. 



The small labourers, however, often do not ferment 

 at all. They simply spread out the cocoa on the soil 

 or on cow-hides and let it dry for some time. It 

 will be clear that the beans, treated in this way, are 

 still surrounded by the whole pulp, which, though greatly 

 dried, is still hygroscopic, absorbing water easily and 

 making the cocoa liable to " mildew " or mould. The 

 local merchants, who buy the cocoa from the small 

 labourers, are therefore obliged to dry it again ; but this 

 is only incompletely done in the warehouses, and the 

 cocoa often comes on the European market in an inferior 

 condition, mildewed or even rotten. The consequence 

 is that the Samana cocoa (this is the commercial name) 

 has a rather bad reputation on the European market. 



Locally, the merchants pay at the present time 

 (1911) about $7 to $9 per quintal (50 kilograms), or 7d. 

 to 9d. per kilogram, which is certainly a low price, and 

 indicates an inferior quality. 



The wages in the various districts are slightly 

 different; in some districts 30 to 40 Am. cents (is. 3d. 

 to Is. 8d.), in others 50 to 60 Am. cents (2s. Id. to 

 2s. 6d.) is paid, or 30 cents (is. 3d.) with food. 



The plantations in San Domingo are mostly of 

 small size. The yearly yield is generally no more than 

 300 to 500 quintals ( = 150 to 200 bags of 220 Ibs.). 

 The number of those which produce 1000 quintals (500 

 bags) or more is very small. 



The great progress of the cocoa culture in the last 

 twenty years may be seen in the following export 

 figures : 



Kilog. 



1890 . . . 1,400,000 



1894 . . . 1,975,000 



1896' . . . 2,250,000 



1898 . . . 3,993,000 



Kilog. 



1900 . . . 5,963,000 



1901 '. . . 6,850,000 



1902 .. . . 8,975,000 



1903 . . . 7,825,000 



