388 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



dangerous, on account of the heat, to open 

 the doors and change the hurdles about. 



It has, therefore, occurred to us to apply 

 a rotary scheme of drying, such as we are 

 about to describe, and which we feel can 

 be safely recommended to the attention of 

 the coco-nut planting fraternity. Such a 

 system has the further advantage that it can 

 be constructed for small or large capacities, 

 all according to the means or actual require- 

 ments of the individual planter or estate. Such 

 a scheme is, of course, hardly applicable or 

 worth while to an estate or area of, say, less 

 than 50,000 trees, but even here co-operation 

 will do a great deal with a view of saving 

 cost, and it would be the easiest thing in 

 the world for several small holders to 

 co-operate in the purchase of a rotary drier, 

 for mutual use and benefit. 



The main advantages of a well-constructed 

 and carefully-designed rotary drying machine, 

 as illustrated on pp. 386-7 and 390-1, are: 



In the first place, by keeping the material 

 to be dried constantly in motion, a higher 

 degree of heat may be safely applied, so long, 

 of course, as it is not sufficient to endanger 

 the copra by scorching or withering. 



Second : Consequent considerable shortening 

 of the time consumed in thorough drying, 

 which can be calculated at one half at least, 

 thus bringing the hurdle-process of twenty-four 

 hours down to about ten to twelve. 



