Feb. 2, 1903.] THE THOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
569 
DUMONI COFFEE COMPANY. 
A circular has been issued stating that tlie 
coffee crop for the current year, owing to the 
trees having borne a very heavy crop last year 
which was followed by a severe drought, has 
fallen considerably below the manager's estimate 
of 60,000 cwt, the yield only amounting to 4,265, 
cwt, against 143,395 cwt in 1901. The market 
price of ordinary Santos coffee has averaged 28s 
9d per hundredweight since the selling season 
began, but the average price realised to date on 
15,702 cwt sold on the company's account is 40s 
.3d per hundredweight. Owing to the unsatis- 
factory harvest and the low price of coffee, the ' 
directors regret no further distribution can be 
made at present on account of arrears of pre- 
ference dividends.— H. and G, Mail, Jan, 2. 
♦ 
QUININE AND CINCHONA. 
Speculation in quinine has again been on a smaller 
scale this year, the shellac-market having over- 
shadowed it to a great extent, and the latter has proved 
a more remnnerative article, i'here has been practi- 
cally no inducement to speculate for a rise in quinine, 
as the bavk-shipments from Java up to November have 
again been extraordinarily heavy, even out-distancing 
the figures for 1901. So far the total shipments from 
January to November have been ;— 
1900 .. .. 9,680,000 Amst. lb. 
1901 .. .. 11,499,000 do. 
1902 .. .. 12,028,000 do. 
Theee figures have completely nonplussed the 'i out- 
side " market, and various theories have been pro- 
pounded to account tor them. Eumoura of a combi- 
nation among the Java planters have been hinted, 
and that the output was to be restriqted, but as each 
successive month saw heavy shipments such rumours 
were naturally discredited. Taking the average unit 
paid for bark at Amsterdam, we find it is the lowest for 
the past three years. In January it opened at 7.45c., 
advancing at three consecutive auctions to 8.65c in 
May (the highest point), when makers quoted la 3d. 
From this period there was a gradual decline to 4.90c. 
in August, when makers reduced quinine to lOJd. In 
August the unit rose to 6.80c, and subsequently declined 
to 6.25c. this month. There have been fewer fluctuations 
ia makers' quotations, and they close Id per oz. lower 
than in January. The top price was Is 3d (from 
April to June), but at the end of the latter month a 
reduction of 2d was made, and by September it was 
down to lOp. It was barely a fortnight at this figure, 
for before the end of the month it stood at Is Id, and 
another Jjd added in October brought it up to Is 
l^jd. — to-day's price. In the "outside" market spot 
values close about 2Jd lower than at the commencement 
of the year.- The highest price paid was Is 2d in 
March and the lowest 9.id in September, when the 
makers quoted lOJd. This low figure was merely 
temporarily, however.; and with everybody wanting 
to buy there was a gradual advance to la ^d by the 
end of the month. From that point it went down to 
lOiJd in November, and although the market subse- 
quently advanced to llid, the position has an element 
of weakness in it,— Chemist and Druggist, Dec. 27. 
■ ■ ■ ' ♦ ■ 
COCONUT OIL MEAL. 
The coconut palm (Coco,'} nucifera) is found 
throughout the tropics, and large quantities of 
thenulsare exported from the West Indies, Ceylon, 
West Africa, the Pacific Islands etc. Jamaica 
in 1900 exported coconuts) to the value of £41,000 
whilst Trinidad's annual output is from twelve to 
fourteen million nuts, worth about sixteen thousand 
pounds. The kernel of the nut contains a high 
percentage of a valuable oil, which is largely 
u.sed for cooking, illuminating, etc., and as tlio 
source of ' nucoline ' or coconut butter utilised 
as a substitute for lard and butter in cooking 
(see Agriculttiral Ne^vs, page 53). 
Professor A H Church, F R s, in his book on 
Food records the following analysis of the fresh 
kernel of the coconut : — 
In 1 lb. 
In 100 parts. 
oz, gr. 
Water 
46-6 
7 200 
Albuminoids, etc. 6"5 
0 385 
Oil 
35-9 
5 325 
Sugar, etc. .. 
8-1 
1 130 
Cellulose .. 
2-9 
0 203 
Mineral matter 
10 
0 70 
The nutrient ratio of this kernel is ri6. The 
fresh nut, it will be seen, contains nearly thirty- 
six per cent of oil, in addition to eight per cent of 
sugar and 5*5 per cent of albuminoids. In the 
ordinary process of manufacture the greater part 
of the oil is extracted and a residue obtained 
known as coconut oil cake. This substance in 
common with several other ' cakes ' obtained from 
oily seeds such as cotton seed, linseed, ground- 
nut, etc., has a high nutritive value. 
The following analysis of coconut oi! cake are 
taken from a paper from Mr M E Jappa, Report, 
Agricultural Experiment Station, California, 
1895-96, page 113. As a basis of comparison the 
mean of three analyses of linseed oil cake (com- 
piled from data in the same paper) are also 
reproduced, 
Coconut Oil Cake. 
«! 
J§ 
aJ 
o « 
aampl 
n 
d 
m 
rs 
ed oil 
an of 
lyses). 
irst 
scon 
linse 
(Me 
ana 
02 
hi 
Moisture 
12-87 
14-68 
10-72 
Pure ash 
^•54 
4-27 
4.67 
Crude protein 
20'06 
19 16 
29-55 
Crude fibre 
11-50 
8'55 
8-24 
Nitrogen free ex- 
tract 
40-90 
42-81 
36-73 
[Starch, Sugar, 
etc.] 
Crude fat 
10-13 
1053 
10-07 
The author remarks : ' coconut oil cake meal is 
another much valued concentrated food, and is 
finding more favour every year with the dairymen 
of California. While not rating as high in ilesli 
formers as either linseed or cotton seed meal, it 
appears in many cases to be more relished by the 
animals,' Professor W A Henry in his recently 
published book. Feeds and Feeding, gives a sum- 
mary of an interesting experiment made by the 
French War Department as to the value of coconut 
meal for horses. ' The results proved that coconud 
meal was equal and even superior to the same 
weight of oats.' -Barbados AgricuKural Aacs, 
Dec. 6, 
