CACAO FERMENTATION 147 



of the manufacturer by giving it what is known as " a 

 good break." 



Under the title of " Contributions to the Knowledge 

 of Cacao Fermentation," a brief synopsis of Dr. Sacks' 

 paper was made in English by A. Fredholm, Esq., of the 

 Botanical Department, Trinidad, and published in the 

 Bulletin of the Department for April 1908, in the introduc- 

 tion to which the writer, as editor, remarked that it was of 

 considerable interest to cacao planters, as explaining much 

 that was previously mysterious in the " rule of thumb " 

 methods generally adopted in the curing of the cacao bean. 

 The writer also expressed opinion (to which he still adheres) 

 that although cacao is improved by fermentation, the quality 

 depends more upon the special variety cultivated than 

 upon any method of fermentation which can be employed. 



It is well understood by the experienced planter that 

 some varieties of cacao take longer to cure than others, 

 that some are more bitter in flavour, and that some have a 

 more tender skin than their neighbours. He knows at once 

 that beans of the Criollo type do not require nearly as much 

 time to " stew in their own juice " as Forastero or Cala- 

 bacillo, and he knows when each has reached the proper 

 stage of preparation needed previous to the final drying, 

 but the why and the wherefore of the variation of time in 

 reaching this stage is, the writer believes, still a matter of 

 doubt even among the most able. That the difference in the 

 thickness and composition of the membranous texture of 

 the outer covering of the bean bears a material part in 

 influencing the time necessary for fermentation cannot 

 however be doubted. 



The cacao bean, of course, possesses a living principle 

 or embryo like all other seeds, and it is well known that 

 this principle can be easily destroyed, both by exposure 

 to dry air and also by an excess of moisture. The greatest 

 care is always taken by cultivators to avoid an alternation 

 of wet and dry periods when putting seeds to grow, as it is 

 known that this means sure death to the embryo in the 

 first stages of germination, for once a seed has started to 



