Dr. Axel Preyer 9 
evening. The contents of the third tank are 
washed in the morning, and those of the other 
two tanks are each brought into the suc- 
ceeding tanks. The fermenting mass can 
easily become over-heated during the second 
day, and great care must be taken to avoid 
this.” 
The fermentation of cacao in Surinam, of 
which the following is a short extract, is fully 
described by Dr. Preuss in his earlier account 
.of his journey out there: ‘Eight wooden 
boxes, 1°5 m. broad, 2°25 m. deep and 1°7 m. 
high, with inclined bottoms, are placed close 
together in the small fermentation house, and 
well shut in on all sides. These are filled with 
the freshly-gathered cacao to at least 1 m. 
high, and one of the boxes must always be 
empty. Banana leaves serve as a covering, 
and the wooden lid is closed. On the second 
day the contents of each box are shovelled 
into the succeeding receptacle, one again 
remaining empty, and so on with daily 
changes for five to eight days. In damp 
weather the fermentation goes on better than 
in dry. Air coming in spoils the ferment- 
‘ing cacao. Only on the fourth day are 
the boxes opened so as to encourage the fer- 
mentation. In Surinam, the cacao, after being 
fermented, is immediately dried, and therefore 
not washed.” 
Finally, let us glance at the methods in 
general use in Ceylon. In this island the 
