43 ^ 
THE TROPSOAL A'QRICULTURfST 
[Dfxember I, 1890. 
of ibe stages of fermentation, as the chill then caused 
may rather be productive of harm than good. 
Colouring or painting over the bean with pigments 
should not be countenanced for one moment, as re- 
sorting to such measures is both retrogressive and 
deceptive ; retrogressive because it prevents an ex- 
pansion of experimental ideas to seek out the means 
whereby to develop natural first-class colours, and 
deceptive because when the fubterfuge is most de- 
pended upon it will of necessity fail signally. The 
production of the first-rate article can and mu.st be 
realized, — that which the frequenters of Shove’s and 
others so well love to base quotations upon in the 
markets of England, Europe and America, there realiz- 
ing paying prices and here returning a harvest of 
gold to the thoughtful and industrious, whei’eas on 
the other hand subterfuges arc sure to be found out 
in the long run, and but bring in train disappoint- 
ment to individuals and ultimate loss to entire 
communities. 
In conclusion, having in the course tf this essay 
touched upon all the principal circumstances connected 
with the fermentation of cooca, a brief summary of 
the means whereby a first-class marketable article 
can be turned out will not be out of place. They 
are as follows : — 
(1st.) Warm sun-shiny days. 
(2nd.) Great attention to the cleanliness and 
proper airing of the c.lis. (Fermenting tanks. — E d.) 
(3rd.) A proper and uniform regulation of the 
mean temperature of the cells during fermentation. 
(4th.) The fermenting cocoa should never be 
allowed to remain in its lees. 
(5th.) The handling, interchange of cells and 
sorting process being deitly done and the curing being 
gradually and regularly proceeded with curing the first 
forty-eight hours, these taken in the aggregate may 
be accepted as the summum honmn of the fermenta- 
tion of various qualities of cocoa and also the turn- 
ing out of a first-class staple. 
To produce aromatic and well-developed beans in 
the cocoa pod is the ultima thule earnestly aimed at 
by our really pushing and enterprising planters. 
Son. 
Third Trize Essay. 
When we ask ourselves the question, “ How to 
ferment Cocoa,” we set ourselves the task of rasolv- 
ii)<r a problem that presents a multiplicity of side 
ismies, rach bearing directly on the main question, 
and each vital to it. It would be erroneous, indeed, 
to start with the cocoa already broken and boxed in 
the sweating compartment.', for a uniform fermenta- 
tion, and that it is we aim at, necessarily depends 
on the uniformity of the fermentable matters. The 
first step, therefore, must be a proper selection in the 
field, and a judicious classing of the cocoa we intend 
fermenting. The best criterion fur this selection, the 
surest principle for this classification, is undoubtedly 
the degree ot maturity of tbe cocoa. As cocoa ripens 
its saccharine parts increase proportionately to its 
maturity, and since, as we will further on demonstrate, 
this saccharine principle plays a most important part 
in the fermentation process, it is but logical to set up 
as abasia for our selection the amount of contained 
saccharine matter; in other words, the amount of 
maturity. And this selection is of vital importance; 
for the less mature cocoa, less rich also in saccharine, 
will ferment much slower than the riper beaus, and if 
these two l-c “sweated," us the term goes, t gelher, 
we will find the latter oversweated when the former 
bus but just reached tie proper point. 
Having tliCrcforo properly clas.Mficd our cocoa, accord- 
ing to its degree of maturity, our next step is to place 
it in sweating boxes when; it can ferment. Wo now 
come to the question : ’‘What kind of boxes will best 
ensure the result we arc aiming at;’’ viz., a uniform 
fermentation. ,, 
'J'be fcrincutation of cocoa is esar.ntiull^ alcoholic ; the 
• ugsr of the pulp bi coiniog converted into aloohd and 
eaVbonic acid; so that, as Jiavoi.sicr says: “ If wc 
could rc-coinbiiio iilcobol and carl oiiic luid gus, we 
Yvould rccoustruct Levulosc,” (Iruit sugsr.) 
Now, basing our arguments on the firmly established 
dictum of Pasteur “ that alcoholic fermentation is 
the function of the life of certain cellular vegetable 
organisms, Zymogenic Mycrophytes, which are a 'priori 
the leaven, and the production of alcohol is simply 
the result of the absorption, at the expense of the 
sugar, of the oxygen necessary for their vitality,” we 
feel no hesitation in laying down this rule for the dis- 
position of the sweating boxes. These boxes should 
be not more than fifteen inches high, and the cocoa in 
them should be uniformly laid. This maximum of 
height wiT obviate the mutual pressure of the beans, 
preventiug the amount of atmospheric circulation 
required for conveying, to the mass, the organisms on 
whith fermentation depends ; and it would, besides, 
econom.ze the labour now utilized in transfering the 
cocoa from one box to the other, to ensure the contact 
of the lowest beans with that air, which they would 
never receive in the sweating compartment of the depth 
in vogue. 
A point, which will fitly find its place in the present 
paragraph, refers to cocoa which though mature has 
been weathered or rained on in the field. Part of its 
saccharine principle has been wushed away, and 
being now, but a poor medium for the development 
of the microphytes, it is apt to “ postpone ” a great 
deal, often undergoes putrid changes, and becomes fit 
only for the manure heap. Under-matured cocoa, from 
a similar cause, a deficiency of levulose is also retarded. 
A great deal of cocoa was lost last November and 
December, especially among the smaller proprietors 
who ignoro the remedy requisite to save the cocoa. 
And this remedy is so simple that I am indeed surprised 
it has not been more generally employed by cocca 
planters. It is rational enough to suppose that if we 
can replace the deficient material, levulose, we will 
ensure a healthy and uninterrupted fermentation. 
The best substitute is sugar, and that of the commonest 
kind, that is to say, sugar containing the most glucose. 
Cocca treated in this way and raised to the same 
composition as matured cocoa will ferment as readily, 
as quickly, and as thoroughly as the latter. 
During the process of fermentation a great amount 
of heat is generated, and this acting on the bean 
both through the pores of the pellieule and through 
the opening at the top, known as the “ Hile," va- 
porizes the aqueous elements and develops the fatty 
substance which absorbs and retains the essential 
aroma of the cocoa. Sdll the heat generated is not 
sufificiemt to vaporize all the aqueous portion of cocca, 
and it is in our drying houses that the residual 
moisture is finally expelled. For this reason, thoroughly 
fermented cocoa, containing a minimum quantity of 
moisture, must be dried gradually so as not to blister 
tbe bean, especially if the remaining pulp or “ bava ” 
has been washed off as is done in Ceylon. On the 
other hand, cccoa indifferently fermented, or surrounded 
by an undue proportion of moist bava, is very liable to 
be attacked by fungi, and to mildew, if, as is often 
the case, heavy rains retard the drying process. The 
rep ated hand and foot rubbing, practised to remove 
the mildew, often breaks tho bean ; and the fungi 
spread to the interior of the cocoa, which, if not 
rendered altogether unmarketable, is, at all events, 
much depreciated in value. No artificial means of 
drying cocoa Las yet given satisfactory results ; but 
in rainy weather the following process has been found 
to minimize the risks of mildew. It consists in heat- 
ing pulverized red earth, and mixing it intimately with 
the cocoa. This pulverized earth acts both by absorb- 
ing the moisture from the cocoa and by vaporizing 
that moisture, By taking advantage of a sunny day 
the cocoa may be freed from its earthy coating by 
slight washing and immediate drying. 
But before concluding, one point is deserving of 
notice in this matter of cocoa fermentation. It is the 
specific wants of the various markets. Nothing is 
better known to the cocoa planter, when his cocoa 
is fold abroad, than the fact that, however scientific 
the preparation of his cocoa, by fermentation, the 
special wants of a particular market, may require an 
imperfectly fermented cocoa wiih certain external 
charactucisvics rather than a perfectly ferra«nted cqcea 
