CACAO 



CACAO 



225 



they are removed from the pods. The extent 

 to which the seeds are fermented varies in differ- 

 ent countries and with different varieties. The 

 strong, bitter varieties are usually allowed to 

 ferment for five to eight days, while for the 

 milder, white-seeded forms, one to four days is 

 considered suificient. When the cacao is washed, 

 it is important that the seeds be fermented first, 

 as otherwise it is extremely diiScult to remove the 

 sweet mucilaginous substance with which the 

 seeds are surrounded, and which, if not removed, 

 will leave the dried beans dark-colored and of 

 a dirty appearance. On small plantations, the 

 fermentation is accomplished by simply covering 

 the beans in a box or other receptacle and allow- 

 ing them to remain one to eight days. A better 

 arrangement, when there are larger quantities, is 

 to place them in revolving boxes, so arranged as 

 to stir the beans without loss of heat, and thus to 

 insure uniform action. During the process the 

 temperature should not exceed 135° Fahrenheit. 



Washing and drying. — ^With fermented beans 

 the washing is a comparatively simple operation, 

 and is usually accomplished by agitating the seeds 

 in running water for a few minutes. The drying 

 is a much more difficult operation and one concern- 

 ing which there is great difference of opinion. 

 Sun-drying is still popular with many progressive 

 planters. Originally, the seeds were simply spread 

 in an open place and gathered before every 

 shower; a more expeditious arrangement is to 

 place the seeds on trays arranged to roll under a 

 roof at one end of the "patio" or "barbecue," as 

 the open space is called. Many plantations are 

 equipped with machines for artifically drying the 

 beans. The ordinary drying machines used for grain 

 and other seeds are not well adapted to drying 

 cacao, for the reason that in these machines the 

 seeds are agitated. This injures the delicate outer 

 covering of cacao. Future handling of the seeds 

 will then cause the cotyledons or "nibs" to break 

 np, thus entailing a loss in weight and making the 

 cacao more susceptible to molds and other 

 fungous attacks. 



Varieties. 



Although the greatest diversity exists in cacao, 

 there are few well-marked varieties. There is 

 little uniformity in the application of varietal 

 names in different countries, and the trade classi- 

 fication is on a geographical basis. In general, 

 cacao may be divided into the mild white-seeded 

 forms, and those with purple seeds, which are 

 much more bitter. The former are usually known 

 as "Criollo" cacao and have been further divided 

 into a number of varieties. Among the purple- 

 seeded cacaos, the best known and most distinct 

 form is "Calabacillo," characterized by a short, 

 blunt-pointed pod with a slight constriction at 

 the stem end. The walls of the pod are thick 

 and the seeds small and very bitter. In spite 

 of the lower price which this variety commands, 

 it is one of the most widely cultivated, and its 

 popularity with planters probably is increasing. 

 It is prolific and very hardy, an important consid- 



B15 



eration, as there are a number of serious diseases 

 for which remedies are not known. 



Uniformity of product. 



A serious obstacle in the way of cacao-culture 

 is the difficulty, of producing a uniform product. 

 Even when the most rigid seed selection is prac- 

 ticed, great diversity appears in the product. It 



Fig. 320. " Calabacillo " cacao pod and leaf . Costa Bica. 



has been thought to overcome this by asexual 

 propagation-, a method not likely to be successful. 

 Cacao in a seed product, and the seed is composed 

 of the embryo of the new plant, which means, 

 of course, that if a flower is cross-pollinated the 

 effect of this cross-polliilation will be immediately 

 apparent in the seed and not postponed until th^ 

 next generation, as with fruit products or those 

 seeds which: are composed largely of endosperm. 

 If, therefore, the diversity of cacao is due to 

 cross-breeding, it will not be possible to preven^; 

 this diversity^ by. budding except in isolated case? 

 where whole plantations are stocked trom th^ 

 buds of a single plant, and sufficiently removed 

 from all other cacao plants to guard agains^ 

 pollination from other forms. 



Prodiiction. '■ 



The growth of the use of cacao in the United 

 States has been unusually rapid. In 1898, only 

 $3,933,000 worth were imported, while in 1905 

 this had increased to $9,484,000. The greater part 

 of the cacao used in this country is imported from 

 Trinidad. The milder cacaos, more especially 



