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Cocoa. — In wet districts where Cocoa grows best there is a difficulty 

 very frequently in drying it on account of a damp atmosphere and ab- 

 sence of sun. It is therefore a matter of necessity to obtain a drying 

 machine constructed on thoroughly sound scientific principles. I am 

 not satisfied with those which I have seen and know to be in use in the 

 Island. The temperature should never be higher than that of the 

 direct rays of the sun, but in the ordinary dryer the lower side of the 

 bean next the wire mesh of the tray is over heated, and the upper side 

 is not sufficiently so, while the general temperature of the dryer may 

 be correct. Several Cocoa planters have most kindly given me their 

 ideas on the size, etc., necessary for a dryer. I have corresponded, and 

 had interviews, with Messrs. John Gordon & Co. in London, and they 

 have designed a Cocoa dryer which causes the beans to present every 

 surface equally to the heated air, and it is to be hoped that this machine 

 will be found to be an improvement on those now in use in the island. 

 Nearly 3,000 plants have been distributed from the Gardens, besides 

 large quantities of seeds. 



Coco-nut. — Enquiries are sometimes received asking for information 

 about Coco-nuts and products made from them. The market price 

 quoted for Coco-nuts in New York is often more than double what a 

 planter can sell them for here, but the bulk of the nuts in the market 

 are of a larger size than the Jamaican, coming from San Bias, San An- 

 dreas, and Bocas del Toro, where the conditions are more favourable 

 to the production of large nuts. 



Copra. — Copra is merely the white " flesh" of the ripe nut taken out 

 of the shell and dried in the sun. It is only imported in London and 

 Liverpool from the East, and the prices ruling would scarcely warrant 

 any export from the West Indies. 



Oil. — Coco-nut oil is extracted from Copra by machinery which must 

 be so constructed as to exert great pressure in order to extract all the 

 oil, and consquently is very expensive. The " cake" left after express- 

 ing the oil is a good Cattle-food. But this industry requires a large 

 capital to carry it on successfully, and the supply of nuts must be cer- 

 tain, constant and probably larger than Jamaica could supply. 



Coco-nut oil is imported into New York from Ceylon, Cochin, etc., 

 at a lower rate than it is sold locally for in Jamaica. The natives in 

 the East Indies use rude hand-mills for the crushing of the copra, the 

 nuts are very abundant, and labour exceedingly cheap. It is used in 

 the United States almost entirely for soap-making. In this island 

 the fresh oil is used for cooking and other purposes, and therefore 

 fetches a higher price than if it were imported from New York. 



Dessicated. — Coco-nut is cut up and dessicated in England and the 

 United States for confectionery purposes, but it is extremely doubtful 

 whether it could be treated in that way in tropical climates, as a very 

 white product is required, and here the colour would probably turn, 

 and the nut become rancid very quickly. 



Fibre. — Capt. L. D. Baker of the Boston Fruit Co., has sent me sam- 

 ples of fibre which he has prepared from the Coco-nut as a substitute 

 for horse-hair in stuffing mattresses, cushions, etc. If it can be supplied 

 cheaply, it would probably take the place of horse hair. 



Coffee, Arabian. — The best plan in dealing with settlers' coffee is 

 to adopt the principle of central factories by whieh one man buys up 



