Mr. George S, Hudson 193 
floor, this process of ridging is unnecessary, 
but the seeds are continually being turned by 
hand or some wooden instrument, such as the 
“palette” shown on p. 192. It is impossible 
to get too much sun on the cacao during the 
first day or two’; the more sun and the more 
frequently the cacao is turned the better the 
sample, provided fermentation has done its 
part. The cacao should be “picked over” 
during the first day, all ‘placenta,’ empty 
seed skins, pieces of pod, leaf and other 
foreign matter removed, and all adhering 
beans separated from one another. On the 
morning of the second day, unless conditions 
of sun, evaporation and mildew infection 
have been very favourable, an almost im- 
perceptible film of mildew is present on 
the seeds which later on becomes quite un- 
mistakable. On the morning of the fourth 
day “dancing” or ‘ polishing” is generally 
done, which process, as described later on, 
removes the mildew more or less efficiently, 
and substitutes an attractive gloss. Another 
three to four days’ good sunning with the 
cacao, frequently placed four to five seeds thick, 
completes the drying, although quite frequently 
in unsettled weather the entire process of 
1T always found it better to close the house from 
r1—2 during the first day, and from 11—1 the second 
day, as the excessive heat on the beans fresh from the 
sweating-box caused them to shrivel and go “ lean.”— 
H.H.S. 
13 
