136 CACAO 



and haulage to " sweat house " for the year at a rate of 

 $1"00 or 4s. 2d. per 110 lb. On some estates managers 

 are not allowed to pay more than 60 cents or 2s. 6d. for the 

 110 lb., and it is the boast of not a few to show how cheaply 

 they pick. Quick and hasty picking, however, can only 

 be done at the expense of the trees and without regard 

 to certain injury to the " cushions " and to the stems and 

 branches. For cacao to be picked at 50 or 60 c. the pickers 

 must be kept at a trot from tree to tree, and it is absolutely 

 impossible under such circumstances for the men to be 

 careful. Some owners, however, demand that pay-bills 

 shall be small and appear to have little regard for the 

 amount of disease which is produced by this routine. 

 In fact, the rule is — to which I am glad to say there are 

 many exceptions of late years — to " take all you can to-day, 

 and let to-morrow look after itself." Alas ! one can 

 readily imagine what havoc is committed among trees 

 where cacao is picked by contract, and to what condition 

 these estates will be finally brought under such conditions. 

 The cost of picking may be detailed as follows, where it is 

 done at about 60 cents per 110 lb. : 



Four men (IJ barrels each = 6 barrels) at 40 cents a day 

 per man ....... 



Two women to pick up at 25 cents each . 

 One man to make large heap, at 40 cents per day- 

 One man to break or cut 6 barrels (J day's work) 

 Job work extracting beans, 6 barrels at 10 cents 

 Job crooking to fermenting house . 



1-60 

 ■50 

 ■40 

 ■20 

 ■60 

 ■36 



6) 3-66 



■61 



Some planters are of opinion that it pays them better 

 to make an inferior article instead of making a superior 

 one. Now the facts are, that the superior article is one 

 which possesses a higher natural quality, or has gone 

 through a more careful process of fermentation, and the 

 inferior article is one which has been treated to a lesser 

 amount of preparation. There cannot be the slightest 

 doubt that the properly fermented article has the best 



