MANUFACTURE. Ol 



served in ail llic (.kp.irlinciUs, aiul every employe appears to 

 dischari^c his or her duly with that ease and readiiurss whicli is 

 the rcsiili of experience and training'. 



The Cocoa arrives in sacks weii^hinL;' from one lo ium cwt.. 

 and as it varies considerably in kind and quality it has to be 

 stacked in laru^(.' piles, ready to underu^o the first process of siftinj^ 

 and picking', so that no unsound berry or any foreij^n material is 

 passed into the roastinLj room. The sieves used for this process 

 are lon:^ barrels on a slit^ht incline, which slowly revolve and sort 

 the nuts into various sizes, whik: at the same time removini^j 

 dust or smaller matter that may come wit i them. Hy an automatic 

 process the nuts are carried into the hoppers of the roasters, 

 which are each capable of roastini^ one ton at a lime. These 

 rotate slowK. and the roasting is done by hiL;h-j)rcssure steam, 

 which is much cleaner and more economical than the old-fashioned 

 plan of roasting by coke or gas. 



So important is this process thai very careful attention is 

 necessary, and e.xperienced workmen, whose judgment is almost 

 un<'rring. are entrusted to superintend it. It is requisite for those 

 who have charge of this de[)arlment to determine the precise 

 periotl at which the nuts are sufficiently roasted, for the quality 

 and rich aromatic flavour of the Cocoa depends greatly upon this. 

 A miscalculation in time wouUl tend to spoil the Cocoa, but 

 mishai)s rarely happen, and so jiraclised are the hands resp<Misible 

 for the n)asting that the work is. as a rule, admirably done, and 

 the flavour of tht: nut is invariably preserveil. After being passed 

 through a cooling chamber, the fresh air s|X!edily reduces the 

 temixrature, when the nuts are ready to be what is technically 



