94 
rnade it even more advisable to express the oil near the source 
of coconut production. The result of these various conditions 
has been the establishment of a considerable number of oil mills 
in the Philippines. The increase in the coconut-oil business in 
the Philippines is shown very clearly in Table 8, which gives the 
exports of copra and coconut oil for the years 1913 to 1918. 
TABLE 8. 
PHILIPPINE RESINS, GUMS, AND OILS 

Amount and value of copra and coconut oil exported from the 
Philippines from 1913 to 1918. 









Copra. Coconut oil. 
Year. 
Amount. Value. Amount. Value. 
Kilograms. Pesos. Kilograms. Pesos. 
O15 See Seek eae ae Sees OT BS 82, 219, 363 19, 091, 448 5, 010, 429 2, 292, 678 
URN bun et tee BR ote Ae eee ee eee 87, 344, 695 15, 960, 540 11, 943, 329 5, 238, 366 
GS mewn eters 2k oe ee oe A ee 139, 092, 902 22, 223, 109 18, 464, 169 5, 641, 003 
1G See ee eS ee oo ee een 72, 277, 164 14, 231, 941 16, 091, 169 7, 851, 469 
ie ee ae eee ee ee ee eee 92, 180, 326 16, 654, 301 45,198,415 | 22,818,294 
1G18 Scere eee ae Oe ee ee 55, 061, 736 10,377,029 | 115,280,847 | 63,328,317 




In order to produce high-grade coconut oil, suitable for edible 
purposes, only ripe nuts should be used, and the copra should be 
dried properly. These two important points can hardly be over- 
emphasized. 
Ripe coconuts give a much greater yield of copra and coconut 
oil than green nuts. Coconuts are sometimes, carelessly or in- 
tentionally, cut from the tree before they are fully ripe, causing 
considerable financial loss. Concerning the use of green nuts, 
Walker,; who has made extensive investigations on copra and 
coconut oil, states: 
* %* * The percentage of anhydrous copra in the meat of the green 
fruit is 33.7; it rises to 50.1 in that of the “fairly ripe’ nuts and increases 
to 58.3 in those marked “dead ripe.’ * * * Only thoroughly ripe nuts 
(the husks of which have begun to turn brown) should be used, and it is 
often advisable to allow the latter to stand in a dry place for a few weeks 
before they are opened. * * * 
Walker also says that there appears to be a slight increase 
in the proportion of meat, copra, and oil in nuts which have 
been stored, up to a maximum of three months after cutting; 

+ Walker, H. S., The coconut and its relation to the production of coconut 
oil. Philippine Journal of Science, Volume 1 (1906), page 71. 
Walker, H. S., The keeping qualities and causes of rancidity in coconut 
oil. Philippine Journal of Science, Volume 1 (1906), page 140. 
Walker, H. S., Notes on the sprouting coconut, on copra, and on coconut 
oil. Philippine Journal of Science, Section A, Volume 3 (1908), page 126. 
€ 
