8 THE COMMERCIAL VALUE OF THE COCONUT 



the years 1900 and 1910, there had been a marked 

 decrease in the production of animal fats over the 

 same period. During the last of these years, for 

 instance, the Census of Production shows that 

 throughout the States there was a decrease in 

 cattle of 2,381,184, in hogs of 4,867,419, and in 

 sheep of 1,000,000. In other words, supplies had 

 diminished and demands had increased to such an 

 extent that the States were not only using all the 

 animal fat they could produce, but were compelled 

 to supplement their supplies by imports. This 

 shortage was not confined to the United States ; in 

 other parts of the world a similar situation had 

 arisen, and it became obvious that the world's 

 production of animal fats was decreasing. This 

 meant, in plain English, that unless some sub- 

 stitute, equal in quality, purity and value, was 

 immediately forthcoming to relax the strain on the 

 markets, certain foods which are essential to man- 

 kind would rise to famine prices. The situation 

 might have been righted by extensive cattle- 

 breeding operations, but that is a lengthy process, 

 and in the meantime a crisis would have arisen. 

 Fortunately science and enterprise stepped into 

 the breach, and the discovery was made that coco- 

 nut products, of which there were supplies avail- 

 able, could fulfil the functions previously per- 

 formed by animal fats, and in a very short space of 

 time there was a world-wide demand for these 



