Copra and its Preparation 367 



large producing centres, if trouble is experienced 

 in drying the meat. 



Since the acquisition of the Philippine 

 Islands by the United States, their excellent 

 Department of Agriculture has carried on in- 

 vestigations in that region for the especial 

 benefit and encouragement of its staple pro- 

 ducts, of which the coco-nut is recognizedly 

 one of the most important and widespread, 1 

 with the result that many of the main problems 

 of that industry have been closely studied, and 

 for the greater part definitely solved. It 

 has thus been found that in order to obtain a 

 copra which will be free from the tendency 

 to form, say, 10 per cent, mould, it must not 

 contain a greater percentage of moisture than 

 5 per cent. The more thoroughly (not the 

 longer period) the copra is dried the less fatty 

 acids does it generate or retain, and this has 

 a great deal to do in reducing its liability to 

 become rancid. It must also be borne in mind 

 that the moisture contents of copra, the same 

 as maize, &c., can be added to between the time 

 it is dried and used. Allowance, therefore, 

 should be made for this as well. 



Tests made by the Philippine Journal of 

 Science of Manila clearly show that the arti- 

 ficially dried copra always has an advantage 

 over the sun-dried article to a remarkable 

 degree, viz., copra dried in 5i-56C. (imme- 

 diately after opening) contains after a process 



1 See Barrett on " Coco-nuts in the Philippines," p. 358. 



