, 45 PREPARATION OF THE BEASi" 



is fitted with a number of upright frames into which slide, cine above the 

 other, the trays upon which the beans are spread ; these should be made 

 of narrow pieces of split bamboo, not of wire or coirnetting. The heatmg 

 apparatus is outside in contact with one end of the building, and consists 

 of a large stove standing in a short tunnel which opens into the house. ■ 

 At the other end of the building, also outside, is a powerful fan, fitted m 

 another short tunnel ; this is worked by hand (three or four Coolies 



-needed), and by its rapid revolutions draws the air through the house. 

 By passing over and rouud the stove the air is dried and heated ; tnat 

 •which passes out is hot and damp. The flue of the stove passes under 

 the floor of the house and contributes to warm it. A drying house of this 

 sort is very simple and its cost only about 120 rupeas; it does its work 

 perfectly, and nothing more elaborate or costly is required. 



It is found desirable here to dry Cacao as slowly as possible provided 

 the risk of mould be avoided. This appears in the interior of the beans 

 in twelve hours and on their outside in about twenty-four in wet weather 

 if they are left cold, but by passing them rapidly through the hot air 



-house, so as to have them hot when taken out, it is found that they will 

 remain for a night or so in the store without injury. 



As the annual average number of rainy days in Ceylon is from 80 in 

 dry districts, to 328 in the wet, and Cocoa is grown only in the moist 

 regions of the Island we may assume that at least four-fifths of the Cocoa 



-exported from that Colony is dried artificially. The rainfall in the best 



"Cocoa Districts of Trinidad appears to average between 86 and 100 inches. 

 The total yield as before stated is 125,000 cwt. representing an enormous 

 crop and an immense number of people dependent upon it. Yet there art 

 not half a dozen artificial drying houses, if as many, in the whole Island," 



Tiie method appears to be a very simple one, but the amount 

 of labour needed ("' three or four coolies") appears to be large 

 ■when compared with that required for the ordinary Trinidad 

 methods. 



It will be observed from the above that the Ceylon planter 

 4ound it desirable to dry Cacao as " slowly as possible, provided 

 the risk of mould be avoided," This opinion has been long 

 -held by many Trinidad planters, and some are of opinion 

 that no drying apparatus which will shorten the time of 

 the operation in any great degree, will secure general 

 ■adoption, as it is to be feared that the quality of the Cacao 

 •will suffer 'if too quickly dried. However, if it can be 

 proved that the quality of the produce does not suffer by 

 ■quick drying, the method will undoubtedly be of the greitest 

 service to the Cacao planter, and experiments in this directioa 

 tend to show that it does not really suffer, but is rather improved 

 -by quick drying. 



However this may be, it is certain that so much loss does 

 not occur during bad weather as formerly, owing to the adoption 

 ■of various systems of artificial drying. 



Machines which are made to revolve as a cylinder, have not 

 been a success, as it has been found that a heavy -weight of 

 -moving Cacao breaks the outer shell of the beans and therefore 



