468 COCOA CHAP. 



for putting the cocoa into bags ; it is generally used as 

 store-house for implements, and sometimes a part of it is 

 used as sweating room. Sometimes a special sweating 

 room is present, separate from the cocoa-shanty. 



On those plantations where no trays are used, always 

 the large, old-fashioned drying floor is still present, 

 adjoining the curing establishment. 



Though several plantations are in possession of an 

 apparatus for artificial drying, they use as much as 

 possible the sun-drying, be it on the drying floor or on 

 the trays. It is cheaper, and the produce is to be pre- 

 ferred when dried in the sun. But in very rainy weather 

 the drying apparatus must be used. 



In large rowing-boats the bags, containing 100 kilo- 

 grams each, are brought from the plantation by the river 

 to Paramaribo, and generally sold there to the merchant 

 who ships the cocoa to New York. 



It may be interesting to give here an estimate of 

 the cost of production of cocoa in Surinam on a planta- 

 tion of average size (300 acres), and producing the 

 average of old times (630 bags of 100 kilograms or 210 

 kilograms per acre). 



Such a plantation, when once established, will have 

 yearly the following expenses : 



Field Work 



1. Weeding (f. 5 per acre) . . . . . . f. 1,5 00 



2. Priming, destroying noxious insects, and fighting dis- 



eases (f.10 per acre) ... . 3,000 



3. Upkeep of the drainage system .... 900 



4. Picking, fermenting, drying, making the cocoa ready 



for the market . .... 2,400 



5. Care of shade trees . ... . . . 300 



6. Headmen and watchmen . . . . . . 1,200 



Immigration Expenses 



7. Hospital expenses ....... 900 



8. Contract expenses (the repairing of the houses of the 



immigrants is included sub 11) . . . . 2,184 



Carried forward . . . f. 12,384 



