16 TlMEHRI. 
handsome profit out of the plantains in the second 
year. 
The cultivation fully grown, the expenses are trifling, 
and 70 per cent, of the gross produce is profit. The cocoa 
tree generally begins to bear in the fourth year, and is 
considered to attain maturity at the twelfth. The average 
yield is then 1^ kilogram (3.3 lbs.) per acre per annum. 
Even when the trees are fully grown, it is always neces- 
sary to keep a vigilant eye on them, to prune them when 
necessary, to trace out and remove the causes why 
one field produces less than another ; in a few words, to 
keep the cultivation bearing ; for it often happens that by 
carelessness the plantation yields less and less, till at 
last it becomes totally fruitless. It must be the care of the 
planter to prevent this and make the trees yield as much 
as possible regularly and without exhaustion. 
The cultivation of cocoa demands no great outlay of 
capital, and the profit is pretty certain. 
The preparation of the nibs or beans for the market, 
involves no great labour ; the first operation is fermentation, 
which gives a certain colour, develops the flavour and taste, 
and favours the drying process. The duration of this fer- 
mentation depends a great deal on the colour desired, and 
varies with the weather. Generally it is from 2 to 4 
days. In Dutch Guiana the fermenting shed is a small 
closed building divided into compartments, generally 
three or four, each with a door in front. The plank floor 
is provided with holes throughout its length, in order 
to allow the cocoa juice to drain from the beans. This 
juice is often collected and used to manufacture a sort of 
vinegar of inferior quality. 
