The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-22
NO Waste IN THE COCOANUE
How the Various Parts of the Product Are
Utilized for Profit.

From N, san francisco Chronicis.
A Chinese proverb says that the cocoanut tree
year The fruit uf the tree is the only part i'm
ported into California and it is now put TO many
thrown away. One local importer receives about
800 600 cocOanuls a month only a small portion
Of them is kept for the green trade as it is called
when the nut sold in its original state the greater
bulk passing 10 the factory, where the husk is
removed and the inner nut is steamed to facilitate
the removal OF the meat About thirty five boys
and girls are employed there in pceing oil the
thin brown skin This is carefully preserved and
sent to the oil and lead works where IA substance
resembling lard and known as cocOanut butter is
extracted This is worked into all sorts of toilet
articles. The white mcaty part Of the nut, after
10 be ground according 10 the quality required
some grinding II almost as fine MS flour, others
next process is the cooking, which is done in i'm
mensc brass kettles continuously revolving to
insure an even result only the milk contained
in the hear, Of the nut is used in the cooking
After the nut is sufficiently cooked that is when
the moiS,ur" has wholly cvaporated. the pulp is
placed in shallow iron pans and dried in drying
closets and the "drssiccatcd cocoanut" Of commerce
is the result, which enters into many different
That part Of the cocoanut whose properties are
not well known in California is the outer cover
ing or husk The inner woody shell Of this makes
teries or. rather, tricks OF the trade, you will
also know that it does duty as spice" How
spicy II really is depends upon what is mixed with
IT. AZ any rate II is to" good fuel To be
thrown away But the hhrous outer shell
Of the cocoanH, was. until very recently,
thrown INTO me bay, 10 tiua! oil and
finally disligdre the surrounding beaches. There
is now a factory on the Berkeley shore Of the
bay which uses this despised husk IN the manu-
iacture Of another useful commercial commodity
1t is the only factory Of its kind in California and
II assumes position Of peculiar importance when
II is remembered that IL is converting what was
previously considered waste matter, which was
hard 10 get rid Of and which bid fair to become a
nuisance. INTO an article OF great utility. out Of
this husk very aromatic perfectly sanitary and
springy material Is being made To serve as subst
tutc in mattress making for the unsanitdry Curlrd
hair The husk Of the cucoanut shell contains
a fibTOuS material which really makes excellent
furniture and mattress filling, 1t is infinitely
superior To shoddy This industry is only in its
husk is hair fibre the rest is dust but not even
this dust Is wasted for nurserymen have found
that II makes an excellent covering for winter
flower beds, The first process through which the
husk Is put is that OF crushing This is accom-
plished by a machine resembling u rock Crushcr
and sounding very much like one when AT work
driven by forty horse power engine This is
called the picker The husk comes out Of II as
dust and coarse hnir like fibre, with here and there
remnant OF shell rms is picked over by boys
and thrown again into the picker
When II comes out Il second time portion Of il is
twisted into rope by machine called the twister
When about hundred feet II this rope is made il is
tied mp into bundle aud hung in n steam hoX
After being thoroughly steamed. these bundles
are dried in a room heated Ia 100 degrees. While
rope II is by this process that the fibre is cIrlcd
and gets it's springy quality. The twisted fibre is
then put through the picker third time, and when
il is thrown out ii looks as light as down and
settles into the sweetest, most aromatic heap
imaginable for il retains its pleasant woody and
material for mattress filling indepcndeni NJ i"s
more important sanitary properties The price
Of this cocoanut fibre ranges from two and one
half cents 10 ten cents pound II has lately been
listed as an article d commerce so that il Is now
one Of the established industries Of this coast
Timidity In tho Tanning.