COCO-NUT PRODUCTS 203 



peculiar form of oil mill, known as the " chekku," is in 

 general use ; and in these countries, especially in 

 Ceylon, the manufacture of oil by this method has 

 grown into an industry of such importance that the 

 produce is an important article of export. The chekku 

 is a mortar of stone or very hard wood which is anchored 

 with all possible firmness in its place. It stands above 

 the ground to a height of about a metre. The upper end 

 is hollowed out in such a way that the hollow has the 

 shape of an hour-glass, the lower enlargement being 

 about half as long as the upper. In this mortar is a 

 pestle, usually of hard wood, sometimes of iron, about 

 140 cm. in length. This mortar fits at the top into the 

 upper end of a piece of wood which is connected with 

 a long tongue, one end of which is fitted to a groove in 

 the bottom of the mortar on the outside near the ground, 

 and the other end is turned by cattle, round and round. 

 The weight of the tongue and of a driver who sits on it 

 is accordingly drawn with the action of a lever, pulling 

 down the upper end of the pestle. At each revolution 

 the pestle goes around in the mortar and at the same 

 time rotates on its own axis. 



The chekku takes a load of about 16 or 17 kilograms 

 of copra. It will take six charges a day, using a total 

 of 100 kilograms of copra ; from this 60 kilograms of 

 oil are produced, leaving 40 kilograms of oil cake. 

 The most of the oil produced in this way is of poor 

 quality ; but there is no reason why, if sufficient care 

 were taken to keep the copra, apparatus, and oil free 

 from dust, the oil should not be of very high grade. 

 These chekkus are used singly or in groups, sometimes 

 of as many as twenty in a single factory. The number 

 in use in Ceylon in 1897 was said to be more than 2800. 

 With the increase in number of modern factories the 

 number of chekkus has since decreased greatly. 



In the Philippines there are a number of methods 

 of extracting oil, of which only the commonest is in 

 wide enough use to merit description. The first steps 

 are the removal of the husk and the breaking of the 



