The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-11-07
NO WASTE IN ooooANUT.
How the Various Parts Of the Pro-
duct Are UtiliEed for Profit.

How the Various Parts Of the Pro-
duct Are Utilized for Profit.
San Francisco Chronicle: A Chinese
proverb says that the cocoanut tree has
as many properties as there are days
In the years. The fruit of the three is
the only part imported into California,
and 1t is now being put to many and
widely different uses, not on atom being
thrown away. one local importer re-
celves about 100000 cocoanuts a month.
Only small portion Of them is kept for
the green trade" as it is called when
the nut is sold in It's original state, the
greater bulk passing TO, the factory.
where the musk IS removed, and the in-
ner nut is steamed to facilitate the re-
moval OF the meat. About thirty-hve
boys and girls are employed there in
peeIlng on the thin brown skin. This
is carefully preserved, and sent 10 the
oil and lead works, where substance
resembling lard, and known as cocoa
butter is extracted. This Is worked IN
to all kinds of toilet articles. Ihe
white, meaty part Of the nut, after be-
ing washed, is thrown into different ma
chimes 10 be ground, according TO the
quality required, some grinding u a.!
most as fine as flour, others cutting u
into strips half an inch wide. me next s.
process is the cooking, which Is zone III
Immense brass kettles, continuously re-
volying to insure and even result. Only
the milk contained in the heart OF the
nut is used in the cooking, After the nut
is sufficiently cooked-that is, when the
moisture has wholly evaporated. the
pulp is placed in shallow iron pans ana
dried in drying closets, and the "dessi-
Gated cocoanup Of commerce IS the re-
suit, which enters into many different
CONNECTIONS.
That part OF the cocoanut whose prop
critics are not SO well konwn in Calitor-
MIA Is the outer covering or husk The
inner woody shell Of thhis makes excel
lent fuel. II you are Initiated into the
mysteries-or, rather, tricks-of the
trade, you will also know that 1t does
duty as spice" How spicy It really IS
depends upon what is mixed with II.
At any rate, II is too god a fuel to be
thrown away. But the fbrous outer
shell of the cocoanut was, until recent.
ly. thrown into the bay, to float OF and
beaches, There Is now factory on the
Berkeley shore OF the bay which uses
this despised husk in the manufacture
Of another useful commercial commod-
Ity, It Is the only factory of Its KIND
in California, and 1t assumes position
OF peculiar Importance when 1t Is re-
membercd that II is converting what
was formerly considered waste matter,
which was hard to get rid Of, and which
bade fair TO become nuisance, into
an article of great utility. Out OF this
husk q very aromatic, perfectly sahl-
tary and springy material ts being maze
10 serve as a substitute IN mattress
making for the unsanitary curled mar.
The husk OF the cccRRut shell contains
a flbrous material which really makes
excellent furniture and mattress hlllng'
1t Is infinitely superior to shoddy. rms rms
Industry Is only In lnts infancy on inc
coast. Twenty-Five per cent OF the
husk is hair or fibre, the rest is dust;
but not even the dust Is wasted, Tor
nurserymen have found that It makes
an excellent covering for winter flower
beds. The first process through which
the i1usk is put Is that of crushing. This
is accomplished by a machine resen-
bling a rock crusher, and sounding very
much like one when at work. driven by
a forty-horse power engine. This is
called the picker. The husk comes out
Of II as dust and coarse hair-like fibre.
with here and there remnant OF shell.
This Is picked over by boys, and thrown
into the picker.
When II comes out second time
portion Of 1t Is twisted into rope by
machine called the twister. When about
n hundred feet Of the rope IS made Il
is tied up into bundle and hung In a
steam box. After being thoroughly
steamed these bundles are dried In a
room heated to 1870 degrees. While 80
treated the fibre is still kept In the
shape OF n rope. It is by this process that
the fibre is curled, and gets its springy
quality The twisted fibre ia then put
through the picker third time. and
when 1t is thrown out 1t looks as light
as down, and settles into the sweetest.
most aromatic heap Imaginable. for It
retains its pleasant, woody and spicy
odor, which alone ought to make It an
ideal material for mattress filling indie
pendent of it's more important sanitary
properties, The price of this cocoanut
fibre ranges from two and one-halt
cents to ten cents pound. has late
" ben listed as nm article of commerce.
so that It is now one of the established
industries Of this coast.