370 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



COCONUT OIL REFBNERY FOR 

 CHICAGO. 



Chicago, Sept. 1, 1910. — Chicago is to have 

 a new industry. The first plant for the refin- 

 ing of coconut oil in the city, and one of the 

 first in this country, is soon to be constructed 

 and placed in operation here. The 



AMERICAN LINSEED COMPANY 



is the sponsor for the new business. Most of 

 the refined coconut oil has been imported from 

 Europe, and it has not been until recently that 

 it was felt there was any need for such an in- 

 stitution as a refinery for this product in the 

 United States. The American people, active 

 and energetic as they are, and progressive in 

 many ways, have not yet adapted themselves 

 to the uses of certain foods as have the Euro- 

 peans. Thi3 is chiefly due to the fact that most 

 of the foods which the Europeans use exclu- 

 sively are of the cheaper sorts, and have been 

 adopted by Europe simply because they were 

 substitutes for something else which cost more 

 money, and the standard of living being generally 

 lower there than it is here it became necessary 

 for the poople to find cheaper food. This is true 

 of many of the oils and fats which are used for 

 edible purposes in Europe, which the Americans 

 have not yet taken out of the classes which are 

 considered fit exclusively for manufacturing pur- 



Eoses. But coconut oil is a little different. It 

 as long been used in Europe as a substitute for 

 lard or butter, and so long as it has no other 

 uses as an edible it was not considered by the 

 American trade. But in recent years there has 

 sprung up a much stronger demand for this oil, 

 not only as a fat substitute, but as 



AN OIL WHICH CAN BE USED VERY EXT KNS1VELY 

 IN THE CONFECTIONER'S AND THE BAKKR's TRADE. 



The growing demand for the oil soon took it out 

 of the by-product class and made it the principal 

 product of the coconut. So urgent has been this 

 inquiry of late that it was found hard for the 

 brokers in this country to supply the wants of 

 the consumers. There is a duly of 3£c. a pound 

 on the refined oil, which increased the cost of 

 the oil to the American public. The American 

 Linseed Company has 



ONE OF THE FEW MILLS FOR THE CRUSHING 

 OF COPRA, 



the dried meat of the coconut, into oil that are 

 in this country. This mill is located at San 

 Francisco, because it is the nearest available 

 point to the islands of the Pacific, where most of 

 the coconuts are grown. For a number of years 

 this mill has been making the oil, but only the 

 crude which has been sold to soapmakers. This oil 

 was shipped as far East as Kansas City, where it 

 was stopped by reason of the high freight rate. It 

 could not be brought to Chicago, for the foreign 

 made oil could be delivered here at a lower cost, 

 even after paying the transatlantic freight. Only 

 occasionally, when the foreign supply was low, 

 was there any Pacific coast oil marketed here. 



There was a big demand for the refined oil, 

 and this demand had increased so rapidly that 

 it had forced the price of coconut oil up to a 

 high figure, In the absence of a duty the West- 

 ern mill was precluded from entering Chicago 



territory with crude oil. There was only one 

 product with which the American crusher could 

 compete with the foreign manufacturer in the 

 Middle West and the territory east of the Mis- 

 sissippi River. This was the refined oil, and the 

 possibility of competition came through theduty 

 of 3^c. a pound which was imposed on refined 

 coconut oil. 



Western Coconut Oil Market. 

 Chicago, Sept. 1, 1910. — A keen and active 

 demand for coconut oil, and a meagre supply 

 which makes it almost impossible for the bro- 

 kers to provide spot stuff, has strengthened the 

 market for coconut oil to a remarkable degree. 

 It is almost a phenomenon that practically all 

 sorts and kinds of oils should be selling now at 

 prices close to record figure?, but such is the 

 case, and coconut oil does not seem to beany ex- 

 ception to the rule. There is no oil to be had in 

 the West just now for immediate use. Chicago 

 probably has not been so bare of coconut oil 

 for a long time as it is at present. Oil here 

 is based on the price in New York, with the 

 freight added, and the local trade is eutiroly 

 dependent on what the East can offer, with the 

 exception of some little direct import stuff. 

 Copra is said by the brokers and by the Ameri- 

 can crushers of the oil to be too high for liberal 

 purchases, and the make of oil has not been very 

 hoavy recently. The San Francisco mill, which 

 is the only one of any importance in this country, 

 is running full time, but the demand is more 

 than equal to the supply. Most of the copra 

 that is now coming into that port is in 

 small ship lots. The company operating the 

 mill bought the Samo;n tax crop last March, 

 amounting to about 2,000,000 lb., but none of 

 this has been received yet. It is expected that 

 a boat will soon arrive, as one is now reported 

 to bo on the way, It isthe belief now that all of 

 this copra will be landed in San Francisco by 

 the end of the current year. The copra that is 

 coming now is chiefly from the Philippines and 

 from the Tahiti Islands. European coconut oil 

 is quoted at about 9.65c. for the Ceylon and 

 10.25c. for the Cochin, Chicago. This is for 

 future delivery, there being little or no spot to 

 be had now. American mado oil is quoted 9 55c. 

 forthe Ceylon and 10.05c. for the Cochin. Kan- 

 sas City. Copra is worth about 5Jc. a pound 

 laid down in San Francisco.— New York Oil 

 Reporter, Sept. 5. 



A NEW SOURCE OF SUPPLY 

 OF ALCOHOL. 



The Pioneer recently published an interest- 

 ing account of an agricultural experiment tried 

 by the Agricultural Department of the Uni- 

 ted States. Some cacti were planted in rows 

 ten feet apart and left to themselves for four 

 years. By that time they had grown into clumps 

 eight feet wide giving a fruit from which six 

 kinds of sugar could be obtained each of which 

 was fermented and turned into alcohol. It was 

 estimated that in four years' time the cactus 

 would yield cheap alcohol to the value of R460 

 an acre, From tiiis the Pioneer estimates that, 



