, 46 PREPARATION OP THE 



V 



Is fitted with a number of upright frames into which slide, one above the 

 Other, the trays upon which the beans are spread ; these should be made 

 of narrow pieces of split bamboo, not of wire or coirnetting. The heating 

 apparatus is outside in contact with one end of the building, and consists 

 of a large stove standing in a short tunnel which opens into the house. 

 At the other end of the building, also outside, is a powerful fan, fitted in 

 another short tunnel ; this is worked by hand (three or four Coolies 

 needed), and by its rapid revolutions draws the air through the house. 

 By passing over and rouud the stove the air is dried and heated ; that 

 which passes out is hot and damp. The flue of the stove passes under 

 the floor of the house and contributes to warm it. A drying house of this 

 sort is very simple and its cost only about 120 rupees; it does its work 

 perfectly, and nothing more elaborate or costly is required. 



It is found desirable here to dry Cacao as slowly as possible provided 

 the risk of mould be avoided. This appears in the interior of the beans 

 in twelve hours and on their outside in about twenty-four in wet weather 

 if they are left cold, but by passing them rapidly through the hot air 

 house, so as to have them hot when taken out, it is found that they will 

 remain for a night or so in the store without injury. 



As the annual average number of rainy days in Ceylon is from 80 in 

 dry districts, to 328 in the wet, and Cocoa is grown only in the moist 

 regions of the Island we may assume that at least four-fifths of the Cocoa 

 exported from that Colony is dried artificially. The rainfall in the best 

 Cocoa Districts of Trinidad appears to average between 80 and 100 inches. 

 The total yield as before stated is 125,000 cwt. representing an enormous 

 crop and an immense number of people dependent upon it. Yet there arc 

 not half a dozen artificial drying houses, if as many, in the whole Island,' 11 



The method appears to be a very simple one, but the amount 

 of labour needed (" three or four coolies") appears to be large 

 when compared with that required for the ordinary Trinidad 

 methods. 



It will be observed from the above that the Ceylon planter 

 found it desirable to dry Cacao as "slowly as possible, provided 

 the risk of mould be avoided," This opinion has been long 

 held by many Trinidad planters, and some are of opinion 

 that no drying apparatus which will shorten the time of 

 Jhe operation in any great degree, will secure general 

 adoption, as it is to be feared that the quality of the Cacao 

 will suffer if too quickly dried. However, if it can be 

 proved that the quality of the produce does not suffer by 

 quick drying, the method will undoubtedly be of the greatest 

 service to the Cacao planter, and experiments in this direction 

 tend to show that it does not really suffer, but is rather improved 

 Joy quick drying. 



However this may be, it is certain that so much loss does 

 not occur during bad weather as formerly, owing to the adoption 

 of various systems of artificial drying. 



Machines which are made to revolve as a cylinder, have not 



been a success, as it has been found that a heavy weight of 



- moving Caeao breaks the outer shell of the beans and therefore 



