THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Jamuary 14, 1905. 



POULTRY NOTES. 



In the Agricultural Xewti (Vol. III,^ p. 34.3) 

 mention was made under 'Poultry Notes' of what is 

 known as ' Pip,' wliich is due to the development of 

 a hard substance on the tongue. In reference to this 

 a correspondent writes from Surinam to the effect 

 that the following treatment is adopted in that 

 country: — 



The liard substuncc is carefully toni off, and in a clay or 

 two the fowls are eating grain again. The fowl is laid on its 

 back and the tongue is firndy held between the thuinl> and 

 first finger of one hand ; with the other hand, by means of 

 a needle, the hard substance is loosened. After this it is 

 .seized between the thumb and first finger and cautiously torn 

 away. 



In reference to this subject, Mr. John Barclay, 

 Secretary of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, 

 •writes : — 



The treatment recommended in the Afjricultural Xeirn, 

 viz., to touch the tongue with glycerine, is good. This 

 should be repeated twice a day. the treatment mentioned 

 by your correspondent is also quite a common one here. It 

 is heroic and also painful to the fowl, but, if carefully done, 

 removes the growth without injiu'ing the tongue. 



Pip is caused by rouii. When the nostrils are choked 

 and the fowl breathes through the mouth, then the tongue 

 gets hardened. If the fowl did not suffer from roup, there 

 would be no pip, and if a fowd with pip were cured of its 

 roup, the pip would disappear. 



It may be mentioned that an identical treatment 

 to that adopted in Surinam is practised in Barbados. 



Varieties of Domestic Turkeys. 



The following note from Farjncrs BuUdla 

 No. 200 of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

 •"Turkeys: standard varieties and numagcnient,' is 

 likely to bo of interest to raisers of turkeys in the 

 West Indies : — 



Six standard varieties of turkeys are grown in the 

 United States, viz.. Bronze, Narragansett, But}', Slate, White, 

 and Black. The main differences are in size and colour of 

 plumage. The Bronze and the Xarragan.sett are the largest, 

 the BuflT and the Slate are the medium, and the Black and 

 White the smallest. Of late so much improvement in size 

 has been made in the Whites that they have moved up to 

 contend for third position, some of them having passed the 

 30-tb. mark. The .same statement may soon be made of the 

 Blacks, as they have greatly improved during the last few 

 years. 



In addition to the foregoing, there is a non-standard 

 variety known as the Bourbon Reds. They might well claim 

 the [losition now held by the Buff turkey.s, being quite like 

 them and more often grown for market than are the Bufls. 



MANUFACTURE OF COPRA AND 

 COCOA-NUT OIL. 



The following note on copra and cocoa-nut oil, by 

 the Consid-General at Marseilles, appeared in the 

 U.S. Monthly Cunsular Reports iot August 1904: — 



The merchandise known as copra is the meat of the 

 cocoa-nut, from which oil is extracted in all countries where 

 the cocoa-nut [lalm grows. The same material is shipped in 

 large quantities to Marseilles. The nut is broken by hand, 

 the meat is extracted and either di'ied in kilns, as in the 

 Philipiiine Islands, pr in the sun, as in Cochin China. The 

 oil is generally used for the manufacture of soap, but of late 

 years methods of refining it have been perfected, with the 

 result that a considerable proportion of the Marseilles oil is 

 now .sold for alimentary purposes. 



The inquiry as to the cost of working copra is difficult 

 to answer .satisfactorily. The Marseilles manufacturers have 

 made very large [irofits during the last four or five years. 

 This has been true of manufacturers of all grades of 

 vegetable oils as well. In a period of general stagnation, 

 the best-equii>ped manufacturers have made handsome 

 fortunes in a single year. The present cost of copra in 

 Marseilles is: Ceylon, .S8.5'16 a ton : Manila and Singapore, 

 $S3-d-i a ton. 



Copra is not treated to a first and second jiressing as 

 are most oil .seeds. The raw material is first pa.ssed through 

 a cylinder pres.s, very much as paper is fed from an endless 

 roll through the revolving cylinders of a printing press. 

 The puljiy mass issuing therefrom is then treated in a bo.if 

 press, and no distinction is made between the oils resulting 

 from the two processes. The high-grade oils are obtained by 

 clarification and filtration, in regard to which little really 

 satisfactory information can be obtained. The method was 

 guarded as a secret by one firm for some time, Ijut at present 

 several firms claim to be turning out equally good edible oil. 



From 62 to 63 per cent, of oil is obtained from the raw 

 material. Two hundred pounds of copra properly handled 

 should jaoduce apjiroximately 121 lb. of oil and 74 lb. of 

 cake. The ordinary .soap oil is now- quoted at .*;12-82 for 

 220 Itj. ; the best Cochin oil at .?1:V89 for 220 ff>. Copra oil 

 cake is very seldom treated by chemical process, as it finds 

 a ready sale for stock-feeding purposes. White copra cake 

 is now worth !?3^0i, and ordinary cake §2'31 for 220 lb. 



A further note from the same publication on the 

 trade in cocoa-nut oil in the Netherlands is of 

 interest : — 



Cocoa-nut oil, as far as I have been able to ascertain, 

 is not manufactured in the Netherlands, but comes princip- 

 ally from British India. The kernel of the cocoa-nut in 

 a dried state is also exported to Europe under the name of 

 ' copra.' The oil is extracted probably by steam-heating or 

 cooking, and subsequent pressing. In Europe it is manufac- 

 tured at Harburg, Germany. 



The Netherlands ' imports and exports of cocoa-nuts, 

 copra, and cocoa-nut oil are not enumerated in Dutch official 

 statistics. I have Ijeen informed, however, that the arrivals 

 of copra in the Netherlands amounted to 800 tons in 1902, 

 while there seem to have been no arrivals in 1903. 



Cocoa-nut oil prices ranged in 1902 between i?1.5'60 

 and §12-80 for 100 kilograms (220 Hj.), and in 1903 between 

 $13-70 and -SI 1-40 for 100 kilograms, duty paid and inclus- 

 ive of barrels. The duty on cocoa-nut oil in the Nether- 

 lands is 22c. on 100 kilograms. Copra prices ranged ia 

 1902 between .?9-C0 and §7-80 for 100 kilograms (200 lb.). 

 Copra is free from import duty in the Netherlands. 



