Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-17

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States. but. according to the custom sta
the a!.t year Of civil authority. they were were,
sa 5: WHICH ieG Is a sasz fs
and Japan The shin Aa to the United
states were only nomipa
bureau of agricultureZie doing everything
he can to promote the tobacco industry by
teaching the farmers improved and econom-
icai methods OF PRODUCTION. He has given
ban plantations. He ID also teaching them
to study the diseases 81 the plant and the
methods of preventing And curing them.
ane ao treat the that
quality of Manila tobaeGoe can be much i'm
proved. Mr.. Scribner thinks but the farm
ers are very conservative and are reluctant
70 abandon old methods for new ones.
The Copra Industry.
Copra, as have told YOU Is the second
Industry of value in the Philippine Islands
and the exports increased from 81 66S, $40 in
1901 to 4,472,697 in 1908 Copra is the dried
meat OF the cocoanut and is also known as
coprax and copras. For many years 1t has
oeen gathered in all the South Sea Islands
ana shipped to Europe for the use Of con-
Iectloners and manufacturers Of soap but
within the last ten or twelve years chemical
sclence mas produced from it half a dozen
aoou prooucts OF great economical import
@Ace, mas MADE the demand unlimited and
mas placed the producer Of copra and the
manufacturer OF both upon a plane of pros
perfty never known before
Inc cocoanut furnishes two distinct COM
mercial prOducts-the husk which contains
valuable fibre, and the meat of the nut
put unfortunately the former Is entirely
waste wasted IN the Philippines. 1t has never
peeIi utlilzed except in a limited way for
local purposes. but when stripped from fine
nut Is piled In heaps and burned. And the
ashes. although exceedingly rich in potash
q a ,na pho N acid. are allowed to blow
aWay' Inc SOIL Is too rich to need fertilizer.
Inc cocoanut, like the potato, tobacco and
otner important products is a native of
A iaine1c, out was growing wild in all the
E Isianas OF the South Pacific when the first
european explorers reached them. 1t is the
theory OF ootanists that the seed cocoanuts
we're carried east and west by the cur
rents OF the ocean.
IN india Ceylon, Java, Borneo and other
parts of the East Indies copra Is cured hv
machinery, but in the Philippines every
thing is done by hand and with the most
p p,hnne implements. A stout steel spear
whose smart Ia firmly imbedded in the soil
IS used to strip the husk from the nuts, and
sklilIui operator will handle a thousand a
u. uay. Inc record Is 5000 a day. The work
Strse icy nara and requires great muscular
zig III IN the arms as we'll as dexterity
Inc operator holds the nut in both hands
ppihes IL down upon the spear point wit h
r roioe, Ewes II a rotary twist and the nut,
AnntSa. rom the husk. falls to the ground
hotner man picks 1t up and with bolo
or pig knife divides 1t into two equal parts
Mhich are spread out in the sun for hours
aes mat memo Inc moisture may dry out and the
shrink away from the hard oufer shall ~
snat IL may be easily detached with tho
nngers; The meat Is then spread ont unon
49,, oaiIpoo gr1ii over smoky fire, which
uiieS ana smokes the surface and giving
II crust, thus prevents the oil or essenne
from escaping. 'e'o
Ihe dried crust is copra, and II is sbinned
IN sacks to France and GERMANY wbera
eighty-three different and vaiuab,. " a..,
cIeS OF commerce are made from it. Mar
seille rs the chief market and there are
many. Her-
Articles Of Food Made From Copra.
A single firm in Marsei1le Consumes q ooo
TONS month, and five or six other facto-
rles In that city nearly as large are on.
gagged In what is called an Infant indus
try the manufacture Of "vegetaline" and
various other adulterants. Large duanti-
t1es OF the oil are shipped to Holland and
I'm iii au wnere, after simple treatment,
Iney are repacked in tins, branded "suner
me creamery butter: and sold by the shin
load In the tropics for IS cents or 81 a
pound. - VI " "
competition with the honest American
steer, whose tallow has been found SO use
ful and so profitable for similar purposes
Cocoanut Oil is used, for a hundred differ
ent purposes, Particularly infFrance where
soap, pomades and other fancy toilet arti
cies are produced in great quantity and va
rlety 1t Is also used in the manufacture
OF salVes and lotions of various kinds. and
10 aoulterate cod liver Oil. Formerly 1t
was supposed to have great medicinal yir-
tues, but that claim has been aban doned
1T Is still considered an effective hair re-
storer and the long, black, lustrous tresses
a ra 1ff rih tod
use 1t Is still extensively used as an illu-
m1nant particularly in Catholic churches.
and In the country towns in the Philippine
Islands street lamps are fed with it,
The natives make a delicious cream of
the freshly ground fruit, which is very nu-
tritious; they distill spirits from the milk
that Is found In the center Of the nut; it is
also fermented and converted into vinegar
the shell is used for fuel, and the ashes for
staining leather. The shell is also utilized
for every conceivable form of household
utensil; the roots are used for dye stuffs
and for making tooth brushes; the leaves
are used for making baskets, mats, brooms
and brushes, and when burned their ashes
make a good substitute for SOAP The oil
OF the cocOanut is used extensively in
dressing floors and other woodwork in the
houses of the PHILIPPINES, and protects 1t
from the ravages of white ants. The fiber
Of the husk is used by fishermen for calk-
ing their boats for cordage and for rope
making. Every other particle of the tree
from the tip of the leaf to the end of the
roots, serves some useful purpose in do
mestic economy.