44 PREPARATION OP THE BEAN. 



T5F. Morris appears to favour the view that tlie kind of 

 Cacao mostly grown in Ceylon is of the Criollo type, and after a 

 long study of the question, I am led to fully concur in this view. 

 The late Dr. Trimen in his report for 1890 gives the remarks 

 made " by a large grower who has great opportunities for 

 " observation that the Forastero varieties which he chiefly 

 " cultivates, appear to be gradually changing their characters 

 " and becoming more like the '.old Ceylon Red,' the seeds losing 

 " their dark colour on section and becoming pale or nearly 

 white," which clearly indicates that cross breeding is now 

 taking place freely in Ceylon. In Grenada I believe such a 

 •change to be common and clearly apparent (i.e.) the character 

 -of Forastero as imported from Trinidad soon disappears owing 

 to the greater predominance of other types. 



If the superiority of Ceylon Cacao is due to a difference in 

 thevarietyof plantproducing it, itis certainly nouse to attempt by 

 washing to imitate it. I am fairly sure however that it is really a 

 difference of kind which decides the difference in quality rather 

 than any method of preparation. There are differences due 

 to soil and situation which should by no means be overlooked, 

 bub I am in no way sure that the common practice of attributing 

 nearly all differences of quality, to a difference in soil and 

 climate, is a safe one, as it is not known to have more than a 

 minor effect with other things. Plant the Jargonelle pear, or 

 the Ribston pippin apple where you will, you can never make 

 anything else of them but Ribston pippins and Jargonelles, and 

 why the soil should be credited with making differences with 

 Cacao as broad as would convert the apple into a crab, and the 

 • pear into a quince, I fail to understand, but would rather believe 

 \ that the quality lies entirely in the intrinsic value of the special 

 kind cultivated. 



DRYING AND POLISHING. 



In Trinidad the general method adopted for drying Cacao 

 IS by exposure to the sun on large wooden floors or trays which 

 can be rapidly covered when rain is about to fall, either by 

 running in the trays under a fixed roof, or having a movable roof 

 over a fixed floor, The latter is by far the most common form 

 of drying-house used in Trinidad, though both systems are in 

 use, separate and combined. 



The houses are erected of wood, the floor being made large 

 or small according to the sixe of the estate. The general run of 

 floors are about 40 to 50 feet long by 18 to 20 feet in width. 

 The sliding roofs are made extremely light, placed o'l wheels and 

 are covered with either plain or corrugated galvanized ivbn}^ 



