21,1 Wells and Perkins: Sulphur for Copra Drying 51 
Cost of constructing the sulphuring box. 
Pesos. 
Wheels and track, second hand 20.00 
2-by-4-inch lumber, 80 feet at 0.125 peso 10.00 
Tongue-and-groove lumbayao, 252 feet at 0.16 peso 40.32 
1g-inch malatabigi, 260 feet at 0.148 peso 38.48 
Bamboos, 25 at 0.15 peso 3.75 
Nails, 7 kilograms at 0.70 peso 4.90 
Labor 14,40 
Transportation, approximate 20.00 
Total 151.85 
Sulphur burner—The sulphur is burned in a pan placed on 
the dirt floor of the box. To utilize crude native sulphur a 
fiat pan, made from a kerosene can, was devised by Mr. Detrick. 
The top and the bottom were removed, and the sides flattened 
out in one piece. The edges were then bent up to form a tray 
22 by 75 centimeters. 
The amount of sulphur to be used depends on the rainfall 
and conditions of drying. One kilogram for each charge is 
usually sufficient, and requires about four hours in burning. 
Pure sulphur is sold in Manila drug stores for 0.30 peso per 
kilogram, but the crude variety found in Silay, Occidental Ne- 
gros; Biliran, Leyte; Camiguin, Misamis; Camiguin, Cagayan; © 
and other parts of the Philippines is also suitable for this use. 
PREPARATION OF THE NUTS 
The nuts can be sulphured before removal of the shells, but 
it is better to sun them, if possible, for an hour or so after open- 
ing (see Plate 2, fig. 4); then the meat is separated from the 
Shell with a copra knife, and placed on the sulphuring trays. 
The preliminary sunning shortens the work by loosening the 
meat. In case the trays are made with solid sides and placed 
directly on each other with no air space between they are stag- 
gered, as shown in Plate 1, fig. 1, in order to allow circulation 
of the sulphur fumes. Loading the high pile of trays on the 
truck is facilitated by digging a shallow ditch for the track, as 
Shown in this photograph. 
The loaded truck is rolled into the box, a match applied to 
the sulphur, and the door closed tightly. If 1 kilogram of sul- 
phur is used, six hours in the box is sufficient for the full effect 
of the fumes. Larger charges necessitate somewhat more time, 
or the entrance of a little air at the bottom may be permitted, 
to burn the sulphur more rapidly. 
