579 
ears back in which he saw no reason why the very 
est of Trinidad cacao should not be better than it 
is now, and as Ceylon prices averaged something 
between 20/ and 30/ over Trinidad cacao I decided to 
give the matter a serious trial in hopes of obtainmg 
at least 10/ more than I did then. 
Accordingly on the 2-lth of October, 1889, I wrote 
to England for a sample of Ceylon cacao to go by, 
and in the meantime I put up on my Estate tlie 
necessary requirements for washing cacao : pipes 1 J 
diameter and 650 foet long to lead the water to a 
concrete trough 32 ft. x 1 ft. 1 x 3 ft. , . , 
In answer to my letter, instead of the desired 
sample which could not be obtained at the time, I 
got a report from Messrs. Wilson, Smithett & Co., 
Brokers, that it was not advisable to imita'e Ceylon 
cacao because the principal value of that class of 
cacao resided in its pale cinnamon break which, 
whether due to the soil or to the different variety 
of cacao, Trinidad planters could not imitate. I 
thought, however, that having once begun I could 
not give up this matter without fighting it through 
ana I again insisted for the sample to guide me. 
In the interval I had prepared a small quantity of 
washed cacao for the San Fernando Exhibition and 
the Hon'ble W. Gordon, one of the Judges who gave 
that sample a 1st prize, having informed me that it 
was similar in external colour to the best Ceylon 
cacao he had seen in England and that the beans 
were twice the size of Ceylon beans, I immediately 
prepared a shipment of 13 bags for the English 
market. 
This shipment was effected on the 14th March, 
1890, and a few days after I prepared another lot of 
12 bags which I sent to America so as to test both 
markets. 
I had not yet received the sample of Ceylon cacao 
which I was anxiously expecting when by a letter 
dated 19th March, 1890, I was informed of the cause 
of the delay which had thus taken place. The fol- 
lowing extract of the letter will speak for itself : 
" The sample of Ceylon cacao which we addressed 
to you by Parcel Post last mail came back a day or 
two afterwards with the intimation that cacao was 
Erohibited to be imported into Trinidad 1 We are 
aving another try by this mail, by letter post this 
time and if you do not receive it you will know it 
has again come to grief somewhere — in Port-of-Spain 
probably." 
I am glad to say that the Post Office authorities 
here could make a better distinction between the 
spirit of the law and the letter of the law than the 
authorities at home and I got my much desired 
sample at last. 
I tried all I could to imitate the internal break 
and I approached it somewhat by sweating the 
cacao 12 to 14 days ; but then the external appearance 
became darker and this could not be sacrificed only 
to approach faintly the internal appearance. My 
friend, Mr. C. de Verteuil, also received samples of 
Ceylon cacao and had them analysed and compared 
with his cacao. Analysis shewed no differei;ce be- 
tween the two except a very small percentage of 
theobromine more in Trinidad cacao. 
In reference to the first shipment to England I 
received a latter dated 24th April, 1890, of which the 
following is an extract : — 
" Now as regards the 13 bags of Ceylon cure the 
appearance is simply splendid and we most heartily 
congratulate you on the result ; but after all the one 
point to be considered is— Will it pay ? One of our 
largest buyers of Ceylon cacao saw the sample yester- 
day and was loud in his praises of it but summed 
it all up in these words :— " Yes, I dare say you'll 
get a few shillings extra for it, but try all you can 
and you'll never get the Ceylon colour inside." 
However, this is a pure experiment and a very in- 
teresting one too, and the great object is to establish, 
if possible, a high price for this little parcel to act 
as a kind of precedent for future shipments. By dint 
of careful manipulation our Brokers hope to take 
advantage of the fact that certain buyers of Ceylon 
cacao arc now being frightened away by the abnor- 
mally high price now ruling, and if some of these 
can he tom))tod to give yours a trial at sonio price 
betwegn 80/ and 90/ as against 100/ to 110/ for Ceylon, 
it will be an important step in the right direction- 
You must however bear in mind that the new cure 
to some extent reduces the strength of flavour while 
it fails to give that delicate pale colour inside which 
is the great attraction in Ceylon cacao. In addition 
to this the Ceylon production is very small and the 
demand for it, though relatively large, is actually 
also very small ; consequently if it were possible for 
all Trinidad cacao to be prepared exactly like Ceylon 
cacao the difference in price would probably no 
longer exist, as the supply would then far exceed 
the demand." 
Notwithstanding this flattering opinion the cacao 
was put up at auction and only elicited a bid 
of 70/ as against 68/ ruling at the time for my or- 
dinary cacao. It was withheld however by my in- 
structions and later on, after great pains and tact 
by the part of my agents was disposed of at 85/. 
I was advised at the same time that this sale must 
be regarded purely as an experiment and not as 
having established a market value. 
In America the second lot met with a ready sale 
at 17^ cents per lb. and having received the account 
sales of this lot befoi'e that of the 13 bags to England, 
I continued to ship to America a few parcels of 5 
and 7 bags respectively which fetched 16 to 16^ cents. 
From there also I was informed that if any great 
quantity of this cacao was shipped at a time the 
(irice would fall ; and so it turned out, for others 
shipped to America also and the price fell to 14J. 
The crop having come to an end I could not con- 
tinue to ship until October this year, when I wrote 
home to say that I was going to prepare all my 
crop Ceylon fashion and asking for an opinion on 
the matter. But the price of ordinary cacao having 
gone up 2/, I thought it was wise to send a trial 
shipment of both qualities at the same time before 
running the risk of losing the advantage of a rising 
market for the ordinary kind. Consequently I pre- 
pared 17 bags ordinary and 10 bags Ceylon fashion 
which were shipped by the same boat and put up 
to auction at the same time. The former was sold 
at 60/ and the latter at 68/ ; but on account of the 
difference in weight the former yielded £5 17 3 gross 
and the latter f 5 9 6 gross, that is 7/6 less notwith- 
standing the difference in price. I was advised there- 
fore that "taking into account the great loss in 
weight in preparing your cacao Ceylon fashion it 
seems to us that the small extra price you will 
obtain for it will not compensate you." 
It is needless to say that I am following that ad- 
vise, the more so that my next lot of ordinary cacao 
was sold at 68/, the same price which the Ceylon 
process had fetched. 
With regard to the loss in weight as from one 
method to the other, the question was practically 
settled by Mr. C. de Verteuil, of Maraccas Bay, who 
from the same sweating-box weighed a certain quan- 
tity of cured cacao and prepared that lot, the or- 
dinary way of dancing, rubbing and sun-drying, and 
weighed again an equal quantity which was im- 
mediately washed and sun-dried. The difference was 
14 per cent, less for the washed sample when dried. 
I was then present when this test was taken 
and did not renew it. But in course of practice I 
can again say that the same number of baskets 
measured in the field which gave me a bag of 
ordinary cacao also gave me a bag of Ceylon 
prepared cacao, witli this difference that the Ceylon 
bags weighed 12 to 14 per cent, less than the others. 
Practically tberefore I may state that the loss of 
weight in washing is 14 per cent. 
The actual results, so far as I am concerned shew 
that the English marlcet is not ready to take up our 
cacao, washed, at a much higher price than the or- 
dinary kind, whilst in America only small quantities 
at a time can be depended upon to fetch good prices. 
But does tliat settle the matter once and for always 
again it washed cacao ? I hope I may not be looked 
upon as a utopist if I venture to submit tliat, not- 
witlistanding this initial failure, to wash cacao is tlio 
onlv rational way of preparing that article for tlie 
following reasons : — 
1st — It is indisputable that the cacao shell with 
