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Page 14
[Illustration--Drawing: BOOT-SHELF ON STOOL.]
Mention has already been made of the provision for illness or
accidents, and of the care shown in the many arrangements for
maintaining and improving the health and physical development of the
girls. Further evidence of this is found in the airy and well-lighted
work-rooms, from which funnels and exhaust fans collect and carry off
all dust, and improve the ventilation, so that in spite of the
multitudinous operations in progress, the whole place is kept as
"spick and span" as a ship of the line. But another aggressive sign of
the firm's belief in the motto _mens sana in corpore sano_ is the
presence of a lady whose whole time is devoted to the physical culture
of the girls. Trained in Swedish athletics, this lady and her
assistant undertake the teaching, not only of gymnastics, but of
swimming and numerous games. Every day drill classes are held, an
opportunity being thus provided for all the younger girls to attend a
half-hour's lesson twice a week.
The result of all this thoughtful care is abundantly evident in the
general air of health and comfort which pervades the whole factory,
and in the bright faces which greet us at every turn, as we pass to
and fro among the busy workers in this monster hive.
[Illustration--Black and White Plate: The Dinner Hour, Bournville.]
Entering now, and turning into the private station, we see thousands
of sacks of the freshly-imported beans being transferred to the
neighbouring stores. The new arrivals must first be sifted and picked
over to get rid of any that may be unsound, or of any foreign material
still remaining. This is accomplished by a sorting and winnowing
machine, which delivers by separate shoots the cleaned beans, graded
according to size, and the dust and foreign matter.
A battery of roasters await the survivors of this operation, which are
automatically conveyed to the hoppers. High-pressure steam supplies
the requisite heat without waste or smoke, and as the huge drums
slowly rotate, experienced workmen, on whose judgment great reliance
is placed, carefully watch their contents, and decide when precisely
the right degree of roasting has been attained to secure the richest
aroma. Then they are passed through a cooling chamber, after which
they are in condition for "breaking down."
This consists in cracking the shells of the beans, and releasing the
kernels or "nibs," from which the shells and dust are winnowed by a
powerful blast. It is accomplished by carrying the beans mechanically
to the cracking machine at a considerable height, whence husks and
nibs are allowed to fall before the winnower: the separated nibs are
assorted according to size. Some of the shells find their way to the
Emerald Isle, to be used by the peasants for the weak infusion called
"miserables."
Now comes the important process of grinding, performed between
horizontal mill-stones, the friction of which produces heat and melts
the "butter," while it grinds the "nibs" till the whole mass flows,
solidifying into a brittle cake when cold.
The thick fluid of the consistency of treacle flowing from the
grinding-mills is poured into round metal pots, the top and bottom of
which are lined with pads of felt, and these are, when filled, put
under a powerful hydraulic press, which extracts a large percentage of
the natural oil or butter. The pressure is at first light, but as soon
as the oil begins to flow the remaining mass in the press-pot is
stiffened into the nature of indiarubber, and upon this it is safe to
place any pressure that is desired. As it is not advisable to extract
all the butter possible, the pressure is regulated to give the
required result. In the end a firm, dry cake is taken from the press,
and when cool is ground again to the consistency of flour; this is the
"cocoa essence" for which the firm of Cadbury is so well known in all
parts of the world.[13]
Between cocoa and chocolate there are essential differences. Both are
made from the cocoa nib, but whereas in cocoa the nibs are ground
separately, and the butter extracted, in chocolate sugar and
flavourings are added to the nib, and all are ground together into a
paste, the sugar absorbing all the superfluous butter. If good quality
cocoa is used, the butter contained in the nib is all that is needful
to incorporate sugar and nib into one soft chocolate paste for
grinding and moulding, but in the commoner chocolates extra cocoa
butter has to be added. It is a regrettable fact that some
unprincipled makers are tempted to use cheaper vegetable fats as
substitutes for the natural butter, but none of these are really
palatable or satisfactory in use, and none of the leading British
firms are guilty of using such adulterants, or of the still more
objectionable practice of grinding cocoa-shells and mixing them with
their common chocolates.[14]
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