172 CACAO 



on Trinidad estates as " dancing " (Figs. 52 and 53). The 

 success of it depends very largely upon the experience of 

 the leaders of the staff in judging when the cacao is fit 

 for the process. If it is done too early the mucilage becomes 

 lumpy, and cannot be evenly spread over the skin of the 

 bean ; some places will be too bare, and others will be 

 covered too thickly. It is at this stage that clay is applied, 

 as it readily unites with the mucilage on the bean. Whether 

 the clay is or is not used, the operation is as follows. 

 The cacao is shovelled together into heaps of some two 

 barrels,* each at suitable distances from each other, and 

 workmen of light build are chosen for dancing, who should 

 not weigh more than 112 lb. to 130 lb. These men tread 

 or dance on the top of the heap barefooted, as before, 

 while women and children sitting round the base throw 

 up the beans as fast as they are thrown down by the dancer. 

 The latter operatives are also again on the look-out for 

 damaged beans or foreign material, which they collect and 

 remove. As the operation proceeds the appearance of the 

 beans must be carefully watched, until they are seen to 

 assume a surface to be likened unto that of a piece of 

 polished Spanish mahogany. When this appears the heap 

 should be opened out and the drying allowed to proceed as 

 rapidly as possible. The following day the heaps should 

 be again danced, opened out thinly upon the floors, and 

 allowed to receive four or five hours of continuous sun heat, 

 which will, by rapidly drying the interior and exterior, 

 tend to fix the polish upon the skin of the bean. 



It is at this stage that the services of a rotary dryer are 

 especially useful, as unless quickly dried the polish will 

 suffer and its fine colour will fade. The drying should be 

 continued until by examination of a number of sections of 

 the beans from different parts of the floor it is found that 

 it is fit for the market. The time of treatment on the 

 drying floor depends entirely upon the weather. Some- 

 times four to five days will suffice ; in bad weather twice 

 or thrice that amount of time. 



* The barrel equals the American flour-barrel, which coutams 190 lb. flour. 



