PICKING. 31 



■field. Tlie pods are broken without the aid of either cutUss or 

 knife, by being dashed on a large hard wood log, upon which the 

 operator site ; and the beans are picked out and taken to the 

 sweating boxes, and the shells carried away, by attendant 

 women and girls. 



If superior samples of Cacao are intended to be made, it is 

 verj' important that the breakers should be instructed to carry 

 out strictlj' a sorting process which will separate the ripe from 

 the unripe beans, and the different varieties from one another, 

 for it is possible to make a much more even sample, by giving 

 due attention at this stage, than by any other moans, for from 

 the appearance of the sweet pulp surrounding it, the condition 

 ■of the interior of the bean can be correctly estimated. 



Arnong the planters cif Trinidad there are many who are 

 ■^ell alive to the importance of making improvements in the 

 process employed for curing Cacao, but as a rule their efforts are 

 met by considerable prejudice in favour of the old rule-of-thumb 

 ■methods, and any one trying to make an improvement, is subject 

 at times to no little riJiculo on that account, from those who 

 should be among the first to know better, and therefore it is a 

 hard fight to get required reforms into working order. Willi 

 'the small settler it is doubtful if the classification of produce 

 could be carried out to ' any real . advantage, so long as each 

 producer undertakes the curing of his own crop ; but were a 

 system of central factories established, a system of classificatioa 

 -could be efficiently carried out, and the general character of the 

 produce greatly improved. Large owners hold generally the 

 view, that a system of classification, does not pay, owing to the 

 increased cost of labour necessary to carry it out. Whether this 

 is a true view, or not is best shown by the fact, that in the 

 ■markets of the world we always find that we must produce a 

 first class article to obtain a name, and to obtain a name, means 

 "to obtain a profit above our competitors ; but we certainly caa 

 never obtain a name unless we make a first class article. To 

 make a first class article in any trade or business, is well knowa 

 in the long run to pay much better than to make ordinary 

 produce. There can be no doubt that many improvements ia 

 the curing of produce can he effected if the necessary study is 

 given to the subject by intelligent men, and the curing of Cacao 

 •certainl}' forms no exception to the rule. Classification of 

 produce of course would be governed greatly by the character of 

 that produce, but still even with crops of the most mixed 

 character, it is still possible to prepare produce for the market 

 ■which would exhibit a great improvement on the ordinary out- 

 turn, by careful selection of the pods in the field or better, by 

 selection of beans during the procesii of shelling. 



