60  Cocoa:  Its  Production  and  Use.        { A  r'ebJrwyfimm 
out  by  a  deft  movement  of  the  hand  or  of  a  wooden  spoon  which  is 
often  used  for  the  purpose.  During  this  operation  a  large  portion 
of  the  pulp  is  removed  by  the  mere  handling,  and  as  the  pulp  is  soft 
and  juicy  another  large  portion  drains  off  as  liquid.  The  beans  are 
then  packed  in  barrels  or  boxes,  covered  over  with  banana  leaves, 
snugly  stacked  and  allowed  to  ferment  for  three  or  four  days.  As 
in  all  operations  making  use  of  fermentation  great  watchfulness  is 
necessary  to  prevent  a  too  rapid  or  too  great  rise  in  temperature. 
Very  often,  and  especially  in  parts  of  Venezuela,  the  fermenting  is 
done  by  placing  the  beans  in  holes  in  the  ground  and  covering  them 
with  clay.  Beans  prepared  thus  are  known  as  clayed  cocoa.  The 
clay  used  is  of  a  warm  brick- red  color  and  greatly  improves  the 
appearance  of  the  cured  bean,  without,  however,  having  any  great 
effect  upon  the  judgment  which  an  expert  dealer  in  cocoa  will  pass 
upon  the  quality  of  the  inside  of  the  bean.  In  the  fermenting  pro- 
cess the  color  changes  from  a  pale  crimson  to  the  dark  brown  which 
the  seeds  have  when  they  reach  our  markets ;  the  kernel  loses 
nearly  all  its  bitterness,  and  even  in  this  unroasted  condition,  if  sugar 
be  added,  it  tastes  much  like  chocolate. 
The  next  operation  is  to  remove  nearly  all  the  remaining  pulp  and 
the  slime  of  fermentation.  This  is  done  by  slipping  and  squeezing 
the  beans  through  the  hands  or  by  dancing  among  them  with  the 
bare  feet.  They  are  then  to  be  thoroughly  dried — usually  by  ex- 
posing them  to  the  sun,  but  often  by  passing  them  over  steam  coils. 
On  a  small  scale  the  sun  drying  is  done  by  exposing  the  beans  on 
mats  or  trays  or  anything  that  will  permit  easy  and  quick  handling. 
On  large  plantations  the  drying  is  done  on  box-like  platforms  espe- 
cially constructed  for  the  purpose.  These  platforms  are  raised  a  little 
from  the  ground  and  have  a  sliding  peaked  roof  which  may  be 
quickly  slid  back  and  forth  so  as  to  cover  or  uncover  the  drying 
beans.  The  object  of  the  sliding  roof  is  to  protect  the  beans  from 
rain  or  sudden  dampness,  either  of  which,  if  allowed  to  reach  the 
beans  after  the  drying  has  begun,  would  greatly  lower  the  quality. 
The  roof  is  used  also  to  protect  the  beans  from  the  burning  heat  of 
the  sun  during  the  middle  of  the  day.  After  a  final  sorting,  which 
is  done  by  hand,  the  beans  are  bagged  and  are  ready  for  market. 
The  cocoa  tree  originated  in  northern  South  America,  but  it  has 
been  introduced  to  all  parts  of  the  world  in  a  broad  zone  on  both 
sides  of  the  equator.    It  can  be  cultivated  as  far  as  latitude  25  ° 
