52 The Philippine Journal of Science i»" 



more — not only in proportion to the reduced water content, but 

 also on account of its improved keeping qualities and the higher 

 grade and value of the oil that can be obtained from it. If 

 necessary, it will be productive of great results for the Govern- 

 ment to penalize smoked, colored, dirty, moldy, or imperfectly 

 dried copra and to subsidize the higher grades of copra until 

 dealers become aroused and demand them, which they certainly 

 will do in time. Such action will not only protect the consumer, 

 but will increase the revenue of the producer. In order to estab- 

 lish definite grades and a certain market, a satisfactory system 

 of classification and standards must be devised, as the Bureau of 

 Science has long been advocating. At present no definite grades 

 for a given region exist, owing to the unwillingness of the inhabit- 

 ants properly to dry the copra. In the Manila markets the terms 

 Cebu sundried, fair marketable Manila, and Laguna are known, 

 although ill defined. Cebu sundried usually commands about 75 

 centavos per 63.25 kilograms (1 picul) more than Laguna. A 

 step toward the solution of the question of standardization has 

 been made by the Visayan Refining Company. Nine months of 

 experience gave this company 65.5 per cent oil in the Cebu sun- 

 dried copra used in its mill. The company has taken this as 

 the average for a good grade of copra in the Cebu market, and 

 for such copra it pays the market price and, in addition, when 

 the copra is white, guarantees the consignee premiums for addi- 

 tional oil content as follows : 



66 12.5 



67 25. 



68 37.5 



By this system the producer cannot lose, and the possibility 

 of receiving a bonus is an incentive to dry properly and to pro- 

 duce a higher grade copra. 



In order satisfactorily to establish grades of copra, certain 

 facts must be considered. Well-prepared copra is white, but 

 the discoloration of black copra may be due to its being smoked 

 when dried on the tapahan or to mold action. Copra is either 

 wet or dry. There are various degrees of wetness. The follow- 

 ing paper indicates the permissible amount of water if copra 

 is expected to be mold-free in storage. The character of copra 

 depends to a certain extent upon the variety of the nut and the 

 region in which it is grown; therefore it is probable that it will 

 be necessary to establish regional grades of copra. It is my 

 opinion that on the basis of oil content in relation to moisture 



