OIL-SEEDS AND OILS 



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the boil. As soon as they are soft, they are shovelled out into 

 round wooden tubs, and pounded with mortars until the pulp 

 is separated from the stones. The whole oily mass is then 

 emptied on to long narrow sloping trays, and the ' stones ' 

 are picked out, and thrown into a tub of water. 



Then the women with their hands squeeze out the oil from 

 the pulp, and it collects in the lower end of the tray. The 

 pulp which remains over is thrown away, and the oil is 



FRUIT OF THE OIL PALM 



poured into kerosene tins. Each of these holds about five 

 gallons, and two of them can be carried by a man on his head. 



Through the hot forest they trudge with these heavy loads to 

 the nearest market, whence the oil is sent down in canoes to the 

 various factories along the coast, and from there exported. 



The ' stones ' or ' nuts ', after being dried, are cracked 

 between two flat stones, and the kernels are picked out by 

 hand. These are exported as they are, and the oil is expressed 

 from them in the country which imports them. 



