Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-14
COCOANUTS AND COPRA
ARTICLES OF COMMERCE FROM
SOUTH SEA ISLANDS
Products of Polynesia and Of French
Oceanica - Palm Groves in Philip
pines May Be Profitable.

CocOanutS and copra, which IS the uieo
kernel of the fruit. as they come TO the
port of San Francisco. are the results OF
skill. labor and a considerable investment In
plantations which are scattered over the
PoIynesian Islands. Our local commerce
is mostly with the islands of French Oce-
AMIGA. Tahiti being the assembling and
shipping market and center. The Philip
pine 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 little copra from Samoa and few
other outlying insular places. but at pres
ent Tahiti is our principal source of supply.
Monthly the ships of the Oceanic Steam
ship Company bring generous consignments
of fresh nuts and copra in sacks to San
Francisco to be manufactured into pre-
pared 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.
Importations of copra at this port for the
year 1901 amounted in value to S2O7,6
and for the year 1902 to $500, 237 The an
nual expectation of copra from Tahiti ag-
gregates from 5000 to 1000 tons. valued at
from 500 to $65 a ton. About one-half OF
the whole product goes to Europe. the re-
mainder coming to the United States and
Chile. which country absorbs four or five
hundred tons a year. There are two con-
Germs In San Francisco which utilize the
copra bi ought here. In some years mar
kets east of here are short Of cOcoanut oil.
otherwis', known as palm oil. and then
there is an added sale for the California
product. But. generally speaking, the trade
is local and limited. Eastern makers of
fancy soaps advertise layishly in the mag
azines and periodicals current as we'll on
this as on the, other side of the Rocky
mountains. and toilet brands of transnOn-
tame origin are widely sold on the Pacific
coast. to the curtailment of the home In
duStry.
The Trade in Copra.
Referring to the trade in copra at large,
doubtless it would be greater If the general
supply were larger. Although the cocoanut
palm grows In the widely scattered island
regions of the Pacific. and to some extent
elsewhere. it thrives only under conditions
which seriously restrict the total area of
its successful cultivation. Essentially and
exclusively it is tropical tree, and, more
over, 1t Is said with truth that 1t will not
thrive anywhere 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 returns. Even
Mexico is too far north for it. Where it is
indigenous, as in Polynesia or the Philip
pines or where. as in the equatorial points
of South America. it is a successful in
truder. practical care and cultivation may
vastly increase its output. At this time the
demand is far enough in excess of the sup
ply TO furnish encoura cement for the es-
adjustment of new plantations in fayora-
bic locations. such as are to be found in the
Island of Tahiti. 1t may be said also that
there is excellent promise in the ultimate
development of this natural resource in our
own inSular empire.
The cocoanut palm-Cocos nucifera-the
Encyclopaedia Britannica describes as a
very beautiful and lofty palm tree grow
ing to height of from co to 100 feet, with
a cylindrical stem which attans the thick
ness of two feet. The tree terminates in a
crown of graceful. waving pinnate leaves"
But in the regions of their growth these
trees are something better than orna-
mental: The nuts supply no inconsider-
able portion of the food of the natives, and
the milky juice within them forms a pleas
ant 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 ferment and Is distilled,
when it yields a spirit which. in common
with like product from other sources, is
known as 'arrack.' The trunk yields d
timber known in European commerce as
porcupine wood, which is used for build
ing, furniture, firewood, 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 water vessel, and the external husk
or rind yields the coir fiber, with which
are fabricated ropes. cordage, brushes, etc.
The cocoanut palm also furnishes very
commerce.
which the principal is cocoanut oil"
Habit of the Cocoanut Palm.
In Tahiti and the islands of French Oce-
anica cocoanut trees begin to bear seven
years after planting They then live and
flourish for from sixty to seventy-five
years. Each tree will produce from sixty
to 80 nuts annually. the frutage being
perennial. AS fast as the nuts are ripe
they fall to the ground and are picked I'D
daily. As they are gathered they are
halved with axes and left two DAYS to dry
IN the sun. This process shrivels and
looSens the meat from the shell, when 1t is
scooped out with knife and spread out on
the ground or on platforms to complete
drying. This takes three days longer. The
result is the commercial article known as
copra. 1t is then cut into smaller pieces
sacked. and is ready for shipment Native
cultivators have some tricks of the trade
at their command which are sources of an
npyance to buyers In the first place the
native Will get his nuts as green as he
dafeS to. because that means increased
weight. With the same object in view he
Will wet his copra with salt water, but this
reveals itself in a dscoloration which ia
easily detected. and reduces the value of
the goods. According to soil conditions of
cultivation and so on 1t takes from 2 2OO
to 400 ripe nuts to make ton of copra
The trees are planted IN rows and twenty
nVe feet apart from one another A San
Franciscan who is heavily Interested in
copra raising Is J. Lamb Doty vice consul
and later consul at Tahiti for fourteen
years. lie has tract of about go acres
OF shore land about two and a half miles
from Papeete. the capital of French Gee
anica- He has about fifty acres planted
with $40 cocoanuts. half of them already
In bearing. The remainder of the planta-
ton will be similarly improved
The trees being widely separated oppor-
tunity is offered for the culture of bananas
and pineapples as an underground Com
paratvely little labor is required for the
purposes of the plantation Mr. Doty is
Obliged TO employ only three natives. and
even that force would not be fully worked
were II not for the single detrimental fac
tor In cocoanut raising at Tahiti II ap3
pears that many years ago somebody in
the states sent to the island a specimen OF
the ornamental plant called lantana, which
In this country is grown in hotho,Yses sun
posing that II would add to the beauty Of
the gardens. AS a matter of fact it acted
Ike the rabbits In Australia, and took DOS:
session OF the territory. running all over
the ground and massing itself in lol,y and
impenetrable lunches of Jungle 1t Is a
rough and thorny creeper and makes life
miserable to the barefooted natives Thus
rendering 1t difficult and arduous for them
TO gather the cocoanuts. But unreleptipu
war Tor several years has been waged
against the invader. and Mr. Doty thinks
that before long lantana will succII,nb ord