Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-10-19
CALL COCOANUT A FRUIT.
So Denominated by the Agricultural
partment-Numbe An
nually Imported.

Inc mOOted question whether the
cocoanut is officially regarded as a
nut or fruit has been settled in
report on cocoanuts recently made
by the department of agriculture. AL
though known as a nut, the depart
ment characteriZes it as "a tropical
fruit" The report says in part:
with the exception of few hun
dred dollars worth grown annually in
Florida, no cocoanuts are produced in
continental United States. A tropical
fruit, grown almost exclusively on ISL
ands and in tropical countries border
Ing upon the sea, there is little terri
tory in the United States proper adapt
ed to its cultivation. The large guam
titles of cocoanuts and their products
consumed in this country are practi-
cally all imported.
with the acquisition of territory
after the close of the Spanish Ameri-
can war there came into the possess
sion OF the United States number of
islands upon which cocoanut produc-
ton is considerable economic factor.
In the Philippines it not only plays an
important part in the domestic econo-
my of the people, but the expectation
OF copra (dred meat of the cocoanut>
constitutes one of the largest items of
their export trade, returning to the
archipelago from 100000 to $4,000
900 a year. In the small island of TIT
tuila, of the Samoan group, copra is
the chief article of export, upward of
500 tons, being shipped out annually
In Porto Rico the area in cocoanuts IN
1899, according to the census. was
5,44l acres. From none of these pos
sessions, however, does the United
States now obtain any important part
of its heavy imports of cocoanuts and
their products.
'"These nuts and their products are
Imported into the United States prin-
cipally in three forms, as cocoanuts in
the she'll, as Copra, and as cocoanut
oil. OF these by far the most impor-
tant, as measured by value, is cocoa
nut oil, the deliveries from custom
houses and warehouses for consump-
ton in the United States in the fiscal
year ended June 80, 1903. having been
4O.O74,800 pounds valued at 81 949.4 42
These were the heaviest imports of
cocoanut oil ever made into the United
States, the previous high record hav-
ing ben in 1S941895. when the quanti-
ty delivered for consumption amount
ed to 31.722014 pounds, valued at ST.
34o,208. The principal uses to which
this oil is put in the United States is
in blending with other oils in the
manufacture of soap. in confectionery
medicinal preparations, food COM
pounds, for the preparation of textiles
and for other purposes
Next in Importance to cocoanut oil
are the imports of cocoannts in the
shell, Of which the deliveries for con-
sumption in the fiscal year 19O2-19G3
amounted in value to s9oS226 AS TO
the quantities of nuts in the shell i'm
ported there is no official record, but
rough estimate based upon the total
value of the imports and the average
price of cocoanuts annually imported
into the United States ranges from 49,
100000 to 50,000,0 00 AS is we'll known,
these nuts are consumed in the United
States chiefly in the raw state and in
the manufacture of confectionery, pre-
pared foods, etc."