Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1903-05-25

4
to the port of San Francisco, are the
results of skill, labor and a consider
able investment in plantations which
are scattered over the Polynesian
islands. Our local commerce is most
" with the islands of French Ocean.
lea. Tahiti being the assembling and
shipping market and centre. The
Philippine islands contain a large
number of wild cOcOanut palm groves,
distributed along the shores of many
of them, but they have yet to become
commercially important. We import
a little copra from Samoa and a few
other outlying insular places, but at
present Tahiti is our principal source
of supply, says the San Francisco
Chronicle.
Monthly the ships of the Oceanic
Steamship company bring generous
consignments of fresh nuts and cOpra
in sacks to San Francisco to be manu-
featured into prepared cocOanut' and
cocoanut oil. most of which is used in
the preparation of fancy toilet soaps
and cocoa butter" Many trading
schooners supplement the service. I'm
portations of cOpra at this port for
the year 1901 amounted in value TO
S2O7,6 O4. and for the year 1902 TO
$26O,237 The annual expectation of
copra from Tahiti aggregates from six
to seven thousand tons, valued at from
$50 to $50 a ton. About one-half Of
the whole product goes to Europe. the
remainder coming to the United
States and Chill, which country alb
serbs four or five hundred tons a year
There are two concerns in San Fran
! cisco which utilize the cOpra brought
| here. In some years markets east of
| here are short of cocoanut oil, other
wise known as palm oil. and then
there is an added sale for the Califor-
MIA product. But, generally speaking.
the trade is local and limited. Eastern
makers of fancy soaps advertise
lavishly in the magazines and period
icals current as well on this as on the
other side of the Rocky Mountains.
and toilet brands of transmontane
origin are widely sold on the Pacific
coast, to the curtailment of the home
| industry.
Referring TO the trade in copra a.
large, doubtless it would be greater If
the general supply were larger. Al
though the cocOanut palm grows in
the widely scattered island regions
of the Pacific. and to some extent
elsewhere, it thrives only under con-
ditions which seriously restrict the
total area of its successful cultivation.
Essentially and exclusively it is a
tropical tree. and, moreover. it is said
with truth that it will not thrive any
where inland beyond the sound of the
surf. There is no place whatever
within the boundaries of the United
States where it will live and give re-
turns. Where it is indigenous. as in
Polynesia or the Philippines, or where,
as in the equatorial points of South
America, it is a successful intruder,
practical care and cultivation may
vastly increase its output. At this
time the demand is far enough in ex-
cess of the supply to furnish encour-
agement for the establishment of new
plantations in favorable locations.
such as are to be found in the island
of Tahiti. 1t may be said. also. that
there is excellent promise in the ulti-
mate development of this natural re-
| source in our own insular empire.
The cocoanut palm-Cocos nucifera
the Encyclopedia Britannica de-
| scribes as a very beautiful and lofty
palm tree. growing to a height OF
from so to 100 feet, with a cylindrical
stem which attains the thickness of
| two feet. The tree terminates in a
crown of graceful, waving pinnae
leaves" But in the regions of their
| growth these trees are something bet
| ter than ornamental: THE nuts sup
! ply no incOnsiderable portion of the
/ food of the natives, and the milky
| juice within them forms a pleasant
| and refreshing drink. The juice drawn
from the uneXpanded flower spathes
forms 'tOddy,' which may be boiled
down to sugar. or it is allowed to fer
ment and is distilled, when it yields
a spirit which, in common with a like
| product from other sources, is known
as 'arTack.' The trunk yields a tim
Der known in European commerce as
porcupine wood which is used for
| building, furniture, fiTewOOd, etc. The
leaves are plated into cajan fans and
baskets, and are used for matching
the roofs of houses. The shell of the
nut is employed as a water vessel. and
! the external husk or rind yields the
coir fibre. with which are fabricated
ropes. cordage. brushes, etc. The
| cocoanut palm also furnishes very i'm
portant articles of external commerce.
of which the principal is cocoanut oil. 20
In Tahiti and the islands OF French
Oceanica cocOanut trees begin to bear
seven years after planting. They then
| live and flourish for from sixty to
| seyenty-five years. Each tree will
produce from sixty TO one hundred
and fifty nuts annually. the fruitage
being perennial As fast &c the putS