126 
In this series of tubes, as well as in the preceding one, a high acid 
value, accompanied by a loss in weight of oil, is evident only in those 
samples which have been attacked by molds—that is, in Nos. 3, 4, and 5, 
which had a water content of from 9.09 to 16.67 per cent. 
No. 6, the dark-colored sample with a very disagreeable odor, showed 
a slight gain in the weight of oil, probably due to the production, by 
organisms, of bodies other than oil which are soluble in chloroform. 
In all the other samples the weight of the oil practically remained un- 
changed. The large loss in substances other than oil (sugars, albumi- 
noids, ete.) is confined, on the contrary, to those tubes in which bacteria 
predominate—that is, those containing more than 16.67 per cent of 
moisture—indicating that bacteria obtain their carbon and hydrogen 
chiefly from the sugars, albuminoids, and cellulose which are present in 
_ copra, while molds directly attack the oil. Whether molds alone can 
split up and assimilate oil from copra, or whether they may not be 
symbiotic with certain bacteria, remains to be established by means of the 
experiments to be undertaken with pure cultures. 
The most important point to be considered from a practical point of 
view is the fact that copra containing as little as 9 per cent of moisture 
is still attacked by molds, with the consequent production of free acid 
and coloring matter as well as loss in weight of oil. Unfortunately, the 
copra produced in the Philippine Islands ordinarily contains from 9 to 
12 per cent of water, a condition which is the most favorable for mold 
growth and for the deterioration of the oil. The remedy for this is 
obvious. A more complete drying, to reduce the water content to 5 per 
cent or less, will produce a copra which is unattacked by organisms. Such 
a product, kept dry, will remain fresh and sweet for a long time. In 
a previous part of this paper I have shown that copra, once sufficiently 
dried, may be kept during the dry season in Manila without any change 
whatsoever, but recent experiments prove this not to be the case during 
the rainy one, even with anhydrous copra. 
Two samples of the latter, cut into fine pieces, were exposed, in open 
specimen jars, for a period of one month. At the end of this time one 
sample was covered to exclude air, while the other remained open. ‘The 
covered sample soon developed a slight mold growth and a characteristic 
ethereal odor, and at the end of another month the oil extracted from 
it contained free acid to the amount of 3 per cent. The sample left 
uncovered for two months was not changed as much, for the oil from it 
contained only 0.89 free acid. This is probably due to the fact that 
during the time of exposure there occurred several comparatively dry 
periods of from three to four days each, during which there was very 
little rain, thus giving the specimen an opportunity to become partially 
dry so that the beginning growth of any mold would be stopped. ‘The 
covered and uncovered samples were found to contain 7.8 and 6 per cent 
of moisture, respectively, which indicates the marked influence of a 
a 
