156 WASHING AND SUN-DRYING COCOA 



Claying and Polishing Cocoa. — The practice of coating fer- 

 mented cocoa beans with red earth, brick dust, red ochre, 

 and similar substances obtains in Trinidad, Venezuela, and 

 in a less degree in several other countries. According 

 to Olivieri {loc. cit.) it consists in introducing red, ferru- 

 ginous earth, devoid of organic matter, at the rate of J to 

 J lb. per barrel (110 lb.) of wet cocoa. It is reported to 

 produce uniformity of colour, to preserve the aroma, and 

 to prevent mould. Powdered red earth is used. The 

 fermented beans, after being partially dried in the sun, 

 are piled in longitudinal heaps on the drying platforms 

 and the pulverised earth is sifted over them. It is then 

 incorporated with the beans by thoroughly stirring them 

 with wooden shovels ; and the earth adheres to the 

 mucilaginous matter which remains clinging to the in- 

 teguments. They are then spread out in the sun to 

 dry. When drying is nearly completed they are piled 

 into heaps and lightly sprinkled with water until the whole 

 mass becomes sticky. The labourers then trample them 

 with their naked feet until the seed-coats assume a 

 glossy appearance, when they are again spread out in 

 the sun until sufficiently dry for export. Buyers whom 

 the writer has consulted were unanimous in objecting 

 to the practice of covering the beans with foreign sub- 

 stances, in view of the losses sustained in manufacture. 

 Bannister {Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, 1890) 

 found that the integuments of clayed cocoa beans from 

 Trinidad contained as much as 5" 12 per cent, of sand and 

 2" 87 per cent, of silica. 



Hart {loc. cit.) offers the following remarks in regard to 

 the practice of polishing cocoa with various substances : 

 " In Trinidad various mixtures are used for colouring 

 purposes and for bringing out the polished appearance 

 of the cocoa ; among them may be mentioned, starch, 

 red ochre, noucou or annatto, and red earth or clay. 

 The red clay of San Antonio estate, Trinidad, is de- 

 scribed by J. Bowrey, Government Analyst of Jamaica, 

 as a very fine ferruginous clay free from organic matter, 

 and it is said to answer the purpose admirably. Dress- 

 ing or colouring of cocoa is, however, more practised 

 by merchants who purchase from the small growers than 

 by the weU-to-do planter, as by this means they are able to 

 put an even appearance on samples of different qualittes ; 



