191 
During this time the nuts appear to undergo a small amount of fermen’ 
tation, and the produce is “ hard ” oil, the fresh nuts giving “ soft” oil 
which fetches a better price in the European markets. The quality of 
the “hard” oil is also deteriorated by the dirt which becomes mixed 
with the nuts while stored, to separate which no саге is taken. When a 
sufficient quantity has been collected the nuts are boiled till the fibre is 
softened ; they are then heaped up in stone — pa second prepared 
for the purpose, and beaten with sticks till the fibre heap 
of nuts is then covered with plantain leaves and left for 12 hours, daring 
which time great heat is developed and a quantity of oil runs off. ‘he 
nuts are then washed in hot water and the fibre separated and squeezed 
by hand. The oil is then boiled to separate it from the water taken up 
in the washing 
This process is defective at every stage. To produce the finest 
quality and the largest quantity of vil the nuts should be treated when 
just ripe and fresh gathered from the tree. ‘They should not be allowed 
to ferment, which darkens the colour of the oil and causes it to harden. 
a large quantity of which is left adherent te the nuts, and second b 
nt of power in the squeezing, which fails to extract the whole of the 
diis Finally, the last boiling further аы ane oil, л palm оч changes 
* 
Pure fresh palm oil has ап Siren Pond (it has ри мае. аѕ 
resembling че Ж рых cake), an is of a bright orange colour; but 
the oil of com ‚ owing to еч of manufacture, has a stink abso- 
lufely бсн, and every shade of colour between golden yellow 
and black. In the Western Province the quality is further deteriora 
by adulteration. At Salt Pond a pecu uliar fine red earth is used for 
mixing by the middlemen. In the Chama district the oil is ал with 
r ripe plantains and sour kanki. Accra may be considered the 
dividing line of the two sorts, the oil made in that district. p to the 
eastward being soft, that made ќо the westward being hard. The soft - 
oils are in general purer than the ard; these being less able to incor- 
porate foreign | Wiper enne: = adulteration is almost, confined to me 
mixture of w 
To show the ‘effect of анна thing more is necessary than to 
compare the position of Lagos oil nd is the purest known) with that 
of Gold Coast oil on the European market. When Lagos oil sells for 
221. 10s. per ton, Accra oil (which includes Addah and py wi pe 
fetches 19/. 10s., and Salt Pond (including Winnebah, Appam, 
Chama sorts) 187. only, or 20 per cent. less than Lagos sorts. No doubt 
some of the superiority of Lagos oil is inherent in the article, but having 
in view the amount of adulteration in the oil from the клен set it is 
not xis merits to expect that the production of a and the 
adoption of the Lagos “ cold” process of manufacture (as distinguished 
from the Gold Const ро” — would =, Lari 
It is impossible to pass from this sei 
Vin й ing to the сани: и the price of ne oil which have 
occurred dt iring the last few ye * 
Thi is the исо of transport that Ses the price on the Gall Coast | 
at such a height as renders the present state of the markets in Europe - 
unprofitable to the exporter, although the grower can produce it at a 
which would enable him to sell it with profit at 3d. to 4d. per 
gallon. Allowing 300 gallons to the ton, the cost to the exporter would — 
