place in our description of the oil-seed crops. The area 

 under cocoa-nut in India has been estimated at 480,000 acres. 

 The tree is put to such varied uses that it can be regarded 

 as much in the light of an oil-crop as in that of timber, 

 fibre, fuel, vegetable, fruit or miscellaneous crop. A vinegar 

 is made of the juice of this palm, also toddy, punch and 

 liqueur. Gur and sugar are also made out of the juice. Soap 

 and candle made out of cocoa-nut oil has a larger percentage 

 of water than any other soap and candle. Being soluble in 

 saline or hard water, it is used in the manufacture of marine 

 soap, but the smell being offensive it is not used in the manu- 

 facture of high class toilet soaps. One to two million gallons 

 of cocoa nut is exported annually chiefly to England. 



393. The sliced kernel, dried in the sun, or artificially 

 dried, contains from 30 to 50 per cent, of oil. The methods 

 of extraction of oil fall under two heads: (i) Dry expres- 

 sion, (2) Extraction by boiling. 



(1) Half a cwt. of dried kernel is a charge for a full 

 sized ghani and a pair of stout bullocks will get through 4 

 charges a day, so that 20 ghanis are required to get through 

 2 tons of kernels in 24 hours. The man who drives has a 

 boy to assist him in taking oil which is got out of the mortar 

 by dipping a piece of rag into the fluid and squeezing it out 

 into an earthen vessel, but if the bullocks are trained the boy 

 can be dispensed with. 



(2) The second process consists in boiling the kernels 

 with an equal quantity of water, then grating and squeezing 

 in a press. The emulsion then obtained is again boiled until 

 the oil is found to rise to the surface. Fifteen to twenty 

 nuts yield 2 quarts of oil treated in either way. 



The first method is the one commonly employed. 



394. The merits of coir as a rope-fibre, possessing elasti- 

 city and lightness and a high power of resistance to the action 

 of water are now recognised all over the world. About 10 

 million pounds of coir and coir-made rope are now exported 



