98 NIGERIA SOUTHERN PROVINCES 



in this oil, which is of such a consistency that even at 

 an atmospheric temperature of 90 it remains in a solid 

 wax-like condition. The earthen vessels in which such 

 oil is conveyed to the factories, when accidentally dropped 

 and broken, do not necessarily occasion the loss of any 

 oil. The thickened condition is entirely due to the 

 method of preparation, during which important chemical 

 changes occur, which appear to be detrimental to the oil 

 for some of its most important uses, especially that of 

 soap manufacture, while rendering it suitable for employ- 

 ment for making candles. The important difference in 

 the preparation of this oil lies in the fact that instead 

 of the fresh fruits being used, the pericarp is separated 

 from the nuts by means of partial decomposition, induced 

 by burying the fruits in the ground for a period varying 

 from three weeks to two months. The semi-decomposed 

 pericarp is then easily removed by pounding or treading 

 out in a canoe-shaped receptacle, after which the fibrous 

 mass is boiled, and the liquid oil is skimmed and allowed 

 to set in earthen jars, in which it is carried for sale to 

 the factories. 



The extraction of kernels from the nuts is one of the 

 usual occupations of the women and children of a village, 

 when not assisting in the preparation of oil. The nuts 

 are spread in the sun for about a week or more until a 

 shrinkage of the kernel occurs, which renders the nut- 

 shell capable of being easily cracked without damage to 

 the interior. It is said that in the Jebu district, to the 

 north-east of Lagos, the local price paid for kernels ranges 

 from 4:d. to 4Jd. for a rilled tin bowl having the diameter 

 of nine inches. 



The primitive method of extracting kernels, by means 

 of cracking the nut-shell between stones and picking out 

 the contents, has not yet given way to the employment 

 of the various machines which have been introduced from 

 time to time to supersede it. 



A black oil is extracted at Oshogbo by roasting 

 the kernels in an earthen pot until black, and stirring 

 meanwhile until the whole mass becomes covered with 

 exuded oil. A small quantity of cold water is then 

 sprinkled into the pot after removing it from the fire, 

 and the contents are pounded in a mortar until an oily 

 meal is produced. This is boiled, and, when the mixture 



