Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-13
NO WASTE IN THE COCOANUT.
How the Various Parts of the Product
Are Utilized
From the San Francisco Chro

FROM the San Francisco Chronicle.
A Chinese prOverb says that the cocoa
nut tree has as many properties as there
are days in the year. The fruit of the tree
is the only part imported into California,
and 1t Is now put to many and widely diff
ferent uses, not one atom being thrown
away. One local importer receives about
100000 cocoanuts a month. Only a small
portion of them is kept for the green
trade" as it is called when the nut is sold
in its original state, the greater bulk pass
ing to the factory, where the husk Is re-
moved and the inner nut is steamed to ia
cilitate the removal of the meat. About
thirty-five boys and girls are employed
there in peeling off the thin brown skin.
This IS carefully preserved and sent to the
oil and lead works, where Il substance re-
sembling lard and known as cocoanut but
ter, is extracted. This is worked into all
sorts of toilet articles. The white, meaty
part of the nut after being washed, is
thrown into different machines to be ground
according to the quality required, some
grinding it almost as fine as flour, others
cutting it into strips hair an inch wide.
The next process is the cooking, which Is
done in immense brass kettles continuously
revolving to insure an 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 moist
ure has wholly eVaporated, the pulp is
placed in shallow iron pans and dried in
drying closets, and the 'desiccated cocoa
nut of commerce Is the result, which en-
ters into many different CONNECTIONS.
That part. of the cocoanut whose prop
critics a1e not so we'll known in California
is the outer covering or husk. The inner
woody shell of this makes excellent fuel
If you are initiated into the mysteries-or
rather tricks-of the trade, you will also
know that it does duty as spice" How
spicy it really is depends upon what Is
mixed with it.
AT any rate it is too good fuel to be
thrown away But the fibrous outer shell
of the cocoanut was, until very recently,
thrown into the bay, to float off and finally
disfigure the surrounding beaches. There
is now a factory on the berkeley shore or
the BAY which uses this despised husk in
the manufacture of another useful CONNER
cal commodity. 1t is the only factory OF
its kind in California, and 1t assumes po-
sition of peculiar Importance when 1t is re-
membered that 1t is converting what was
previously considered waste matter, which
was hard to get rid Of and which bid fair
to become nuisance, into an article Of
great utility.
Out of this husk very aromatic, per-
fectly sanitary and springy material is
being made to serve as substitute in mat
tress making for the insanitary curled
tains a fibrous material which really makes
excellent furniture and mattress filling. 1t
is infinitely superior to shoddy. This in
dustry is only in its infancy on this coast.
twenty-five per cent oi TIC husk is nalr OF
fiber the rest is dust; but not even this
dust Is wasted, for nurserymen have found
that it makes an excellent covering for
winter flower beds. The first process
through which the husk is put is that of
crushing. This is accomplished by a ma
chine resembling a rock crusher. and sound
ing very much like one when at work.
driven by 40-horse power engine. This is
called the picker. The husk comes out of
1t as dust and coarse hair-like fiber, with
here and there a remnant Of shell. This
is picked over by boys and thrown again
into the picker.
When 1t comes out a second time por-
ton Of it is twisted into a rope by q ma