^° FERMENTATION. 



one operator holding one opinion, the next holding another, 

 bat after all their productions are about equal, allowing the 

 observant man the priority he gains by the use of his judgmenti 

 0£ his common sense. / 



Practice will tell the planter the condition to which he 

 must bring his beans by fermentation before he attempts to dry 

 rhem ; and until brought to this particular condition, they 

 cannot be considered properly cured or fermented, so as to 

 furnish a well cured sample when finished off. The condition, 

 into which the bean should be brought, is well known to the 

 generality of planters, and we find them making sections of the' 

 beans to ascertain whether the fermentation has been regular 

 and general but to describe the particular condition is a hard 

 thing to do. The best I know of is that of the late Dr. 

 Chittenden in 1st prize Essay. He says : — " At this stage it' 

 " fermentation has been properly established, the cotykdons are^ 

 " found separated and the vinous liquor of the pulp, which 

 " passes through the membranous covering, occupies this space 

 " as well as the cavities between the convolutions." This it is 

 " which has so marked a physiological influence and affects its 

 " flavour, the bean being, as may be said, " stewed in its own 

 " juice." What is here described I believe to be literally true, 

 and unless we can stew the bean in its own juice, ©r absorb^ 

 the constituents of the pulp through the membranous covering 

 in some manner, we shall never properly ferment Cacao or 

 change the character of the interior of the bean. 



The above may be taken as the condition to which the 

 bean is brought by the moist fermentation of Cacao, but there 

 are other methods used which produce similar results Dr.. 

 Chittenden says also, " The conuquero puts up his beans to 

 " drain and forthwith exposes them to the sun for say five or 

 " six hours, then heaped and packed up they sweat afresh until' 

 " the following day, when they get five or six hours more sua 

 •= and so on." Again, " another contrivance of ■ the small'. 

 " grower, is that of bagging the Cacao at the end of the day' 

 " whilst still hot from exposure to the sun and to sweat it) 

 " during the night." 



This is the practice of the Venezuelan planter, and i» 

 described in Sir William Robinson's Pamphlet (1S90 ) 



The prime object of sweating or fermentaton therefore 

 appears to be, to change the inside portion of the bean, by.: 

 absorbing into it products obtained from the fermenting pulp,'"' 

 and where fhif- is not fully accomplished by any of the methods, 

 the bean is C!3.ssad as unfermented, and the product is generally, 

 of lower value. ^ ■ 



