122 TROPICAL AGRICULTURE ch. hi 



dry, which is told by their producing a crackling sensation 

 when pressed between the thumb and forefinger. In Ceylon 

 the cacao, after being fermented, is well washed to get rid of 

 the mucilage, and it is then carefully and gradually dried so 

 as to produce plump, clean, and attractive-lookin^ beans. 

 The Ceylon cacao thus cured fetches the highest prices in 

 the London market. 



How to clay CLAYING. — Sometimes the cacao is clayed, and this is 



the beans. 



done in the following manner : When the beans are re- 

 moved from the sweating boxes, they are sprinkled with red 

 clay that has been dried and pulverised. ^ On the second day 

 the same process is gone through if the clay has not tinged 

 all the beans. Then the beans are rubbed between the 

 hands for an hour or so in order to clear away the surplus 

 mucilaginous matters. The drying is afterwards finished as 

 usual. Clayed cacao has a reddish appearance, and the 

 colour is uniform, and it usually fetches high prices in the 

 markets. The principal supply of clayed cacao comes from 

 Venezuela and is usually known as Caraccas cacao. It is 

 not recommended in English colonies to clay any cacao. If 

 improvement is sought it should be in the direction of Ceylon 

 Mildew. cacao. The rubbing process above described may also be 

 employed when the cacao becomes mouldy in very wet 

 weather, it cannot then be sunned sufficiently, and, for this 

 reason, on large estates, it is sometimes necessary to effect 

 the drying, with artificial heat, in a kiln. 



