Edible Products. 



432 



[May 1908. 



consignments, are often keenly bid for 

 by makers of common chocolate, and 

 realise prices which, in their opinion, 

 are much higher than the quality justi- 

 fies. They prefer not to buy such 

 cocoas themselves, so long as good estate 

 cocoa can be obtained at a reasonable 

 price. In their opinion Nos. 2, 3, 4, (ex 

 "Nigeria") and No. IV (ex " Akabo ") 

 appeared to be the best samples, at the 

 same time they considered that better 

 cultivation and more experience in fer- 

 menting the beans would lead to consi- 

 derable improvement in the quality of 

 the cocoa. 



A second firm of manufacturers classi- 

 fied the cocoas, as regards commercial 

 value, in five divisions as follows: — 

 A- ,, Nos. 4 and IV. 



B. 3 ,, 7. 



C. „ „ 1 „ 2. 



D. „ „ 5, 8, V. VI, 



VII, VIII, and IX. 



E. „ ., 6. 



The Arabic numbers represent the 

 samples ex " Nigeria ", the Roman 

 those ex " Akabo." 



They stated that samples 4 and IV 

 alone appeared to have had any effect- 

 ive fermenation, and that even in these 

 samples it is not quite regular. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



For comparision with the prices ob- 

 tained for these Gold Coast cocoas the 

 following particulars may be quoted re- 

 garding the current rates for cocoa in 

 Liverpool and London at the time of 

 the tales : — 



LIVERPOOL, MARKET, JANUARY 23, 1907. 



Per cwt. 



San Thome ... 73s. to 75s. 



African ... 62s. to 70s. 



JANUARY 30. 

 San Thome ... 09s. to 72s 



African ... 60s. to 09s' 



FEBRUARY 6. 



San Thome ... 80s. to 84s. 



African ... 60s. to 69s. 



LONDON MARKET, JANUARY 23, 1907. 



Ceylon Plantation: special 



marks 76s. to 95s. 

 ,, ,, red to 



good 76s. ,, 86s. 



Native estate, 



ordinary to red 65s. ,, 77s. 



Java and 



Celebes Small to good red 60s. ,, 95s. 

 African : — 



San Thome j G tQ CQl 78s 85g 



Cameroons ) J 



Accra Fair reddish 63s. „ 75s. 



Congo Redtocolory 70s. ,, 82s. 



6d, 



A comparison of the brokers' valua- 

 tions of the eight lots ex " Nigeria " 

 with the Liverpool prices of the same 

 date shows that one sample, No. 4, was 

 considered to be superior to the best 

 West African cocoa then offered on the 

 market. Three other samples Nos. 1,2, 

 and 3, were valued at a little below the 

 top market price, viz. at 66s. to 69s. per 

 cwt., whilst the other four lots were 

 valued at from 63s. to 66s. per cwt. at a 

 time when 60s. was the lowest market 

 quotation for West African cocoa, 



Sample No. 4 of this consignment was 

 of very good quality and was commend- 

 ed by the manufacturing firms consulted. 

 There is no doubt that if cocoa of this, 

 quality can be regularly prepared in 

 the Gold Coast it will realise very good 

 prices in the market. 



The six lots ex 'Akabo" realised from 65s 

 to 70s. per cwt. compared with the mar- 

 ket price of 60s, to 69s. per cwt. Only one 

 sample, No. IV, realised 70s. per cwt., 

 but three others, Nos. V, VI and VII. 

 fetched, 68s., 67s. and 69s. per cwt. 

 repectively whilst the other two sold at 

 65s. per cwt. 



The principal defect of these Gold 

 Coast cocoas as a whole is insufficient 

 fermentation, which considerably re- 

 duces their market value in comparison 

 with other varieties. If the preparation 

 of the cocoa could be improved in this 

 respect, much better prices would be 

 realised. In addition, the presence of 

 small and mouldy beans in many of 

 the samples also reduces their quality 

 and value. The occurrence of a consi- 

 derable proportion of small beans; is 

 no doubt due to defective methods of 

 cultivation, whilst the devolopment of 

 mould in some of the cocoas may be 

 attributed to insufficient drying after 

 fermentation. Considerable improve- 

 ment could be effected in all these 

 directions, with the result that the 

 quality of the cocoa would be greatly 

 enhanaged. The native farmers should 

 be encourged to produce cocoa similar 

 to sample No. 4 ex " Nigeria."— [Bulle- 

 tin of the Imper ial Institute. VOL V. 

 No. 4. 



THE TRANSPORT OF SEED CACAO. 



Professor de Wildeman, of the Botani- 

 cal Gardens at Brussels, in his " Plantes 

 Tropica les de Grande Culture," speaking 

 of the transport of green cacao beans 

 from one centre to another for planting 

 purposes, recommends that they be 

 sent in the pods. "The best way to 

 protect the pods," he writes on p. 168, 

 " and to preserve the vitality of the 



