Am.  Jour.  Pharrn.  \ 
October,  1895.  / 
Notes  on  Curing  Cacao. 
531 
The  first  important  point  to  be  observed  when  about  to  cure 
cacao  is  that  it  must  be  quite  ripe,  but  not  over-ripe.  The  pods 
must  have  attained  their  full  color,  whatever  it  may  be,  but  if  the 
beans  shake  about  easily  then  the  pod  is  over-ripe.  The  reason  is, 
that  if  the  beans  are  not  ripe,  the  mucilaginous  matter  covering  the 
beans' is  not  properly  developed  into  the  stage  when  it  will  readily 
ferment.  If  left  to  get  over-ripe,  the  mucilage  commences  to 
liquify. 
The  best  vessel  in  which  a  small  cultivator  can  ferment  cacao  is  an 
ordinary  flour  barrel.  To  prepare  this  for  the  reception  of  cacao 
beans,  first  bore  about  a  dozen  holes,  each  a  half  an  inch  in  diame- 
ter, in  the  bottom  of  the  barrel ;  then  place  about  ten  inches  of 
banana  trash  in  the  bottom  of  the  barrel.  Line  the  sides  also 
thickly  with  trash,  and  have  a  sufficient  quantity  on  hand  to  cover 
the  beans  when  placed  in  the  barrel.  When  the  barrel  is  ready, 
break  the  whole  of  the  pods  and  place  the  beans  in  the  barrel,  cov- 
ering with  the  banana  trash.  The  beans  must  be  left  to  ferment  for 
two  days,  then  remove  one-third  of  the  beans,  lay  them  in  a  heap 
on  the  floor,  and  mix  them  thoroughly.  Remove  the  balance  of 
the  beans,  and  mix  them  also,  but  do  not  put  the  two  heaps 
together.  After  placing  fresh  trash  in  the  barrel,  put  the  beans 
which  were  at  the  top  back  into  the  bottom  of  the  barrel,  and  those 
which  were  at  the  bottom,  place  at  the  top.  Cover  with  the  trash 
in  the  same  way  as  before,  and  leave  for  two  more  days,  when  the 
beans  should  be  treated  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  before.  They 
should  then  be  left  for  two  more  days,  when  they  should  be  taken 
out  and  washed  thoroughly. 
On  the  day  the  beans  are  finally  removed  from  the  barrel  the 
work  should  be  commenced  very  early  in  the  morning,  so  as  to  get 
all  the  sun  possible  on  the  first  day,  for  the  beans  mildew  very 
quickly.  They  should  be  washed  immediately  after  they  are  taken 
out  of  the  barrel,  as  this  helps  to  keep  them  plump. 
The  proper  amount  of  cacao  to  ferment  in  one  barrel  is  the  quan- 
tity of  beans  obtained  from  1,000  ordinary  sized  pods.  If  many 
more  than  this  number  are  put  into  one  barrel  the  fermentation  is 
too  great,  and  the  beans  turn  black. 
If  a  less  quantity,  say,  below  700  pods,  is  to  be  fermented,  the 
green  trash  and  more  of  it  must  be  used,  and  a  weight  not  exceeding 
28  pounds  placed  on  top,  which  helps  the  fermentation.  During 
the  time  of  drying  the  cacao  it  is  not  desirable  to  expose  it  after  the 
