528 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIV. 



Copra. — The dried kernels (copra) as also the Poonac, are sent 

 to Europe aiad the United States from Ceylon and Cochin. The 

 Poonac is the refuse of the kernel after the oil has been expressed. 

 It is very fattening to fowls and cattle, and forms the best manure 

 to young Coco-nut trees, as it returns to the soil many of the 

 component parts which the tree has previously extracted for 

 the formation of the fruits. For this reason it has been found 

 worth while to transmit the Poonac to those localities where the 

 Coco-nut tree gTOws far inland, away from the saline soil of the 

 coast. The Coco-nut Palm abstracts from the soil chiefly silex 

 and soda, and where these two salts are not in abundance, 

 the trees do not thrive. Copra is used extensivel}'- in France, 

 Cermany, Spain and England, chiefly in soap making, but 

 also in the manufacture of certain food products resembling butter. 

 This "cocoa butter," or " cocoaline," should not be confounded 

 with the " cocoa butter " made from cacao (Theohroma cacao), the 

 source of chocolate, which is also an important commercial product. 

 The process of manufactiire of coco-nut butter has been kept secret. 

 The main difficulties to overcome were the tendency to rancidity of 

 the fats and its liquid consistency. The credit for carrying on 

 experiments which finally led to success is due to the firm of Eocca, 

 Tassy and deRoux, of Marseilles, who have also erected a plant at 

 Hambui'g. Magnan Freres have more recently succeeded in making 

 a satisfactory butter by independent experiments and some German 

 houses ai'e now doing the same thing. " The effort to extract an 

 edible grease from an oil produced upon so vast a scale and formerly 

 available only for the manufacture of soap gave promise of valuable 

 returns if successful ; and that this promise was not delusive 

 may be judged from the circumstance that the factory of Rocca, 

 Tassy and de Roux, which produced 25 tons of butter per month 

 in 1900, turned out 600 tons per month in 1902. The butter is 

 not at all a by-product of the manipulation of the oil, as in the 

 factory of Messrs. Rocca, Tassy and de Roux, 7,200 tons of butter 

 are obtained from 8,000 tons of oil per annum in a year of maxi- 

 mum results. The butter is styled " vegetaline " and cocoaline, the 

 greater demand being for the former. The first named melts at 

 26*^ C. and the latter at 31° C, being by that fact better suited for 

 warm climates. In the United States the principal manufacturers 

 of food products from coco-nut oil are the India Refining Company, 

 of Philadelphia. They have a process by which the rancidity of the 

 oil is eliminated, so that it is sweet, neutral, and adapted for family 

 use and for manufacturing purposes by bakers, confectioners, and 

 perfumers. One brand called " Kokoreka " consists of the stearin 

 of the coco-nut oil, having a melting point of about 27-3° C. This 

 is used by manufacturing confectioners in combination with or in 

 place of cacao-butter. A lighter brand, called "ko-nut" is used 



