Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1899-10-20
THE coCoANuT INDUSTRY
Manner in Which They Are Gathered
and Exported TO This Country.

and Exported TO This Country.
A great proportion of the cocoanuts
received in this country are still
brought here in sailing vessels The
nuts are imported chiefly from the San
Bias coast, Trinidad and points along
the Orinoco River, and are consigned
to various commission merchants
throughout the country. A number of
schooners engaged in the cocoanut
trade ply at regular intervals between
this country and Southern ports. The
majority of these vessels discharge
their cargoes at New York and from
two to four of them are to be found at
all seasons of the year.
An interesting half hour may be
spent on the piers some morning when
the work of unloading the nuts is un-
der full headway. The nuts are drawn
from the hold in bushel baskets and
are dumped on the pier. Before being
placed into the carts which are waiting
to carry them the nuts are tested.
This is done by knocking two nuts to-
gether. If from the force of the con-
cussion milk escapes from the eyes of
a nut the nut is adjudged bad and is
thrown away. Every nut is thus
tested before it leaves the pier. The
nuts must also meet a certain standard
of size and weight. The best nuts, II
is said, are always the heaviest. Some
times when a vessel has been delayed
by adverse winds, and the nuts as a
result have lain in the hold a long
time, enough of them are spoiled to cut
into the captains profits seriously.
One of the largest of cOcoanut
schooners is the Leila Smith, Capt.
Trainor, which left New York recently
for the San Bias coast, having dis
| charged a cargo of over 250,000 nuts
The Smith makes three round trips a
year, and besides her regular cargo Of
nuts, brings many barrels of Central
American turtle shells, which COM
| mand good prices.
Capt. Trainor, when seen recently,
gave an interesting account of the way
in which the nuts are gathered and
| exported to this country.
THE best nuts" he said, "are those
gathered on the San Bias coast, and
bring all the way from $40 to $40 a
thousand. The nuts are of medium
size and are sold principally to deal
ers in desiccated cocoanut.
When picked the nuts are encased
| in a thick husk. No unhusked nuts
are exported to this country. In En-
| gland, however, the demand for nuts
| in the husk is large. British mer-
| chants have long realized the CONNER
cial value Of the cocoanut's fibrous
covering, and it is put to a variety of
uses, principally, however, in the max
| ing of pulp.
"The San Bias coast" continued the
captain, "is full of islands and keys
which are as wild and as uncivilized
as any locality in the world. We work
along, collSting cocoanuts at most of
the important islands, until we get to
the gulf of Darien. By that time we
| have a full cargo and are ready for
| home.
THE San Bias cocoanut trade is en-
| tirely carried on by Indians The
palm trees grow wild and the natives
make no attempt at cutivating the
| growth of the nuts. The trees yield in
| January, February, March and April,
but nuts are gathered at all seasons
of the year The natives are a copper
colored race and are not warlike They
will not. however. tolerate the pres
ence of a white man in their villages
White men prospecting for gold occa-
sionally pass through the country, and
as long as they mind their own bust
ness they are not mOlested. But if
| they show any disposition to settle
down they are politely requested to
! move on.
"The natives are not sharp at a bar
gain, nor do they attempt to drive
one. They sell two nuts for 5 cents,
and this standard applies to any num-
Der of nuts from two to 1000. They
could not be induced to either raise or
reduce this price.
"The Indians have their tribal chiefs,
| and exhibit many of the characteristics
which mark our more savage North
| American redskins. They love beads
and other finery, and we always find il
| profitable to carry a load of looking
| glasses brass rings and ribbons which
we give to the natives in return for
what they deem their equivalent in
nuts. They will give more nuts for
a plush bound lookingglass than you
| could purchase with $5.
THE natives are eager for education
and especially desire that missionaries
be sent to them. 1t certainly would
be an excellent field for some mission
society to work in, for the people
learn readily and are sincere, simple
and honest
Although part and parcel of the Co
| lombian Government they pay no taxes
| that | am aware of and have no voice
in the government. All they want is
to be let alone and the government ac.
commodate them"