278 Winton — Anatomy of the Fruit of Gocos nucifera. 



It is stated on credible authority that in Philadelphia at the 

 present time about six hundred tons of shells, obtained as a 

 by-product in the preparation of dessicated cocoanut — an arti- 

 cle much used in pastries and confectionery — are annually 

 reduced to a powder in mills of peculiar construction and sold 

 to spice grinders. This powder, without further treatment, is 

 mixed with ground allspice, which it closely resembles in 

 appearance. By cautious roasting the color of ground cloves 

 and nutmegs is matched, and by roasting at a higher tempera- 

 ture a charcoal is obtained which, mixed with starchy matter, 

 is a clever imitation of black pepper. 



Fig. 1J. Cocoanut shell powder, st, dark yellow stone cells with brown con- 

 tents ; t, reticulated trachea ; sp, spiral trachea ; g, pitted trachea ; w, colorless 

 and br, brown parenchyma of mesocarp; /, bast-fibers with stegmata (ste). 

 xl60. 



Powdered cocoanut shells appears to be a distinctively 

 American adulterant. The leading treatises on the microscopy 

 of foods in the German, French and English languages, even 

 those of recent publication, make no mention of it, and a num- 

 ber of prominent European food chemists and microscopists 

 have declared to the writer that they had never heard of its use. 

 On the other hand, cocoanut cake (the residue from the oil 

 presses), which in Europe is commonly employed, both as a 

 cattle food and as an adulterant of human foods, is almost un- 

 known in America. 



All the tissue elements of the mesocarp, the endocarp and 

 the outer testa are present in cocoanut shell powder, but the 

 stone cells of the endocarp make up the bulk of the material, 

 (fig. 11, st). These cells are characterized by their porous, 

 brown-yellow cell walls, their dark brown contents which 



