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little water, and covered over with plantain leaves, weighed down 
by stones and left for about five days. 
“During this period a slight fermentation takes place, which 
softens the fleshy coat of the fruit, and facilitates its easy remova 
from the nuts, which process is performed by beating the nuts with 
long wooden pestles. The women and children then take the 
mixture of pulp and nuts and lay it on a wooden framework 
placed over another hole, a little water is then sprinkled over it, 
and the pulpy mass is then covered up with plantain leaves and left 
for another five days. During this period a quantity of the oil is 
released, and drains down into the plastered hole; this is then put 
Into old kerosene tins ready for market. This oil is said to be 
of the very best quality, it has a pleasant smell, and does fot 
readily harden, The nuts are then picked out from the fibre, and 
placed in the sun to dry. The fibre is put into large iron pots 
_ filled with water, and boiled until the oil rises to the surface and is 
skimmed off. e refuse is then put into a bag, and the remainder 
of the oil is squeezed out. 
“It will be seen that the native method of extracting palm oil is 
primitive, laborious and wasteful, both of labour and produce, and 
it is generally affirmed by the natives that the present price 0 
palm oil does not pay them for the large amount of labour entailed 
In its preparation. 
“The following interesting figures,.as to the cost of producing 
palm oil and kernels, have been furnished to me by Konor Mate 
Kole, of Eastern Krobo, who owns one of the finest palm oil 
plantations in the Colony. 
. st collecting palm nuts and extracting one ton of oil, 
$. 4d. 
“Price paid for one ton of oil by local merchants, £10 10s. 
“ Cost of breaking and picking one ton of palm kernels, £10. 
Price paid for one ton of palm kernels by local merchants, £5 12s. 
The local cost of transport from the plantation—two days’ journey 
been any improvement by the natives in their methods of extracting 
