496 



COCOA 



CHAP. 



world production (the fine sorts to 79 per cent) ; in 1912 

 to 68 per cent (the fine sorts only to 32 per cent). 



These figures indicate that the quality of cocoa, taken 

 as a whole, is falling off owing to the prevalence of 

 sorts of lower quality. 



In the different industrial countries the extension of 

 the industry was not in the same way influenced by the 

 increasing predominance of the ordinary sorts. The 

 share of the ordinary sorts in the world production and 

 in the consumption of the most important countries in 

 1903 and 1909 may be estimated from the following 



review 



PERCENTAGE OF ORDINARY SORTS USED IN THE INDUSTRY. 



It is apparent from these figures that the ordinary 

 qualities play an important role in the German industry, 

 which is also the case in Holland and England to-day. 

 In all the other countries their role is less important. 

 In France a large amount is still used of the finer sorts. 

 This may partly be a consequence of the higher quality 

 of the chocolate manufactured in that country ; but 

 the fact that the industry of powdered cocoa is so 

 important in Germany and Holland accounts also for 

 its demand of ordinary sorts. Powdered chocolate 

 grows more and more important as a cheap beverage 

 for the people, and cheap cocoa is needed for its 

 manufacture. 



As a rule the prices of the different sorts approxi- 



1 Gordian, No. 364, June 1910, pp. 3514-3517. 



