II2 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Aug,  t,  1896. 
THE  CEYLON  ESTATES  INYESTMENT 
ASSOCIATION,  LIMITED. 
UF.PORT 
to  the  twelfth  Oi-dinary  General  Mcotiug,  held  in 
Glasgow  on  the  llUh  June: — 
The  Directors  have  pleasure  in  submitting  here- 
with the  accounts  for  the  year  ending  31st  xMarch, 
1896. 
The  Directors  are  pleased  to  be  able  to  again  show 
a satisfactory  result  of  the  year's  working. 
The  balance  at  the  credit  of  Profit  and  Loss  account, 
including  £481  18s  lOd  brought  forward  from  last 
year,  is  £1,708  11  10 
The  Directors  propose  that 
this  should  be  applied. — In 
payment  of  a dividend  of 
P2.J  per  cent  free  of  Income 
Tax  £3,875  0 0 
In  writing  down  Tea  Machin- 
ery and  Factories  300  0 0 
4,175  0 0 
and  that  the  balance  of  £533  11  10 
be  carried  forward  to  next  year. 
The  directors  who  retire  at  this  time  in  conform- 
ity with  the  Articles  of  Association  are  Mr.  Kobert 
King  and  the  Reverend  Peter  Grant,  n.n.  They  are 
eligible  and  offer  themselves  for  re-election. 
'The  Auditor,  Mr.  Alexander  Moore,  C.A.,  also  re- 
tires, but  is  eligible  to  be  re-appointed. 

INDIAN  PATENTy. 
Specification  of  the  undermentioned  inventions  have 
been  filed  under  the  provisions  of  Act  V.  of  1888. 
iMlUtOVEMENTS  IN  OU  CONNECTED  WITH  WEBS,  TKAVS 
ELAl'S  OU  CAUIUEUS  EOK  CAllUVINO  TEA  LEAF  IN  DKVINO 
MACHINES. — No.  113  of  1896. — William  Jackson,  engi- 
neer of  Thorogrovo,  Mannofield,  Aberdeen,  North 
Britain,  for  improvements  in  or  connected  with  webs, 
trays,  flaps  or  carriers  for  carrying  toalcaf  or  other 
substances  in  drying  machines.  (Filed  8th  .Tune  1896.) 
—Kaa! ern  J'Jiifjincer,  June  27. 
COCONUT  OIL. 
BY  UK.  IllKSClI. 
There  appears  to  be  a good  deal  of  irregularity 
i I the  classification  of  the  various  qualities  of  this 
important  raw  material  for  the  manufacture  of  toilet 
soaps,  and  it  would  perhaps  be  better  to  replace  the 
names  at  present  in  general  use,  viz..  Cochin,  Cey- 
lon and  coprali  oil,  by  the  terms  “white,”  “prime,” 
and  “ yellow,  since  “ coprah”  only  means  the  mate- 
lial  from  which  the  oil  is  obtained,  and  the  others 
Ivvhich  may  bo  called  territorial  de.siguations)  are 
somewhat  misleading,  it  being  possible  to  obtain 
“ Ceylon”  oil  of  first-class  quality,  or  “ Cochin”  oil 
that  is  merely  “ prime.” 
The  white  or  first-quality  oil  is  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  white  soaps,  and  must,  equally  with  the  lat- 
ter, coutaiu  no  coloring  matter — a prohibition  which 
particularly  applies  to  gray,  yellow  or  blue  shades. 
The  very  soft  bloom  of  the  fiuo  almond  soaps  is  due 
to  the  complete  emul.sion  produced  by  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  oil  with  the  colorless  soda  lye.  For  this 
reason  the  coconut  oil  should  contain  no  free  fatty 
acids,  or,  at  any  late,  not  more  than  1 per  cent  at 
tlie  outside.  The  oii  should  oxiubit  the  ciiaracteristic 
pure  nutty  taste  and  odor  of  its  class. 
For  colored  soaps,  cither  filled  or  unfilled,  the 
prime  ” oil  is  used,  a small  proportion  of  coloring 
matter  being  therefore  allo\yablo  in  the  oil  and  in 
“ white  ” soaps  made  therefrom,  but  this  sJiouUf  be 
very  slight  as  compared  with  that  contained  in 
“ colored  ” soaps.  As  a rule,  the  soaps  from  this  grade 
are  not  required  to  exhibit  the  same  bloom  and 
transparency  as  the  almond  soaps.  Tiie  presence 
of  over  4 pEi’  cent,  of  free  f.itly  acids  pro  luxe.-,  lum- 
niness  when  the  oil  and  lye  are  stirred  up  together, 
on  account  of  the  extra  rapid  reaction  of  the  free 
acid  with  the  alkali,  and  tlio  mass  easily  becomes 
thick  the  finished  soap  showing  flakes  duo  to  the 
irregular  distribution  of  tlie  fat,  alkali,  rolor  or 
scent.  When  filled  soaps  are  in  question  the  free 
fatty  acids  should  not  exceed  .3  per  cent.,  or  the 
work  will  be  attended  with  difficulty.  Tu  odour  the 
oil  is  not  exiiocted  to  be  so  fine  as  the  “ white  ” 
finality,  but  must  on  no  account  ho  disagreeable  or 
irritating. 
The  chief  use  of  the  yellow  oil  is  in  tho 
manufacture  of  filled  soaps  by  the  warm  pro- 
cess, especially  those  yielding  upward  of  250 
por  cent.  Its  color  may  bo  deep  compared 
with  the  finer  qualities,  but  not  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  discolor  the  soaps.  Free  fatty  acids  are 
no  detriment,  good  results  being  often  obtained 
where  as  much  as  12  or  14  per  cent,  is  present  The 
odor  may  bo  slightly  rancid,  but  not  so  as  to  make 
the  soap  disagreeable. 
Tho  barrels  for  packing  coconut  oils  must  be  per- 
fectly clean,  those  having  previously  contained  fusel 
oil  or  inferior  spiiits  requiring  to  be  steamed  until 
the  characteristic  smell  has  disappeared.  On  account 
of  the  solubility  of  jialin  oil  in  coconut  oil,  and 
tho  consequent  coloration  thereby  impaited  to  llic 
latter  and  tho  soaps  prepared  from  it,  every  trace 
of  the  pahn  oil  should  bo  removed  from  barrels 
having  previously  served  to  contain  the  same,  be- 
fore they  can  be  used  for  coconut  oil.  Tar  barrels 
must  on  no  account  be  used,  and  the  cleaning  of 
casks  by  burning  out  is  to  be  deprecated  (unless 
all  carbonized  spots  therein  are  subsequently  scraped 
clean)  on  account  of  the  contamination  of  the  oil 
by  particles  of  carbon,  which  ultimately  make  the 
■soap  look  gray. 
The  estimation  of  the  free  fatty  acids  may  be 
effected  in  the  following  manner  ; One  Iniudred  c.  c. 
of  pure  alcohol  (95  to  96  per  cent.)  are  placed  in  a 
250  c.c.  flask,  and  a few  drops  of  alcoliolic  phe- 
nolphthalein  solution  added  thereto.  To  this  mixture 
normal  soda  lye  is  added,  one  di  op  at  a time,  until 
a decided  rose  comration  is  produced,  a little  more 
than  one  drop  being  needed  to  iioiitralizc  the  carbon 
dioxide  absorbed  from  the  air  by  tbo  alcohol.  Tho 
liquid  is  then  heated  to  a boiling,  and  ten  c.c.  of 
molted  coconut  oil  are  added  from  a pipette  (which 
must  be  rinsed  out  afterward  with  alcohol  twice). 
Tlie  oil  dissolves  completely  (or  nearly  so),  and  may 
be  titrated  with  normal  soda  until  the  initial  rose- 
coloration  reappears.  Once  c.  of  the’soda  corresponds 
to  2'2  per  cent,  of  free  fatty  acid. 
There  is  another  grade  of  coconut  oil  known  as 
“ imported  ” oil,  which  is  said  to  be  superior  to  the 
“white”  quality,  hut  the  author  has  not  had  any 
opportunity  of  testing  it.  As  with  other  imported  oils, 
the  buyer  is  supposed  to  accept  what  is  tendered, 
without  anj'  guarantee  as  to  color,  purity  or  any 
other  characteristic,  and  the  weight  is  reckoned  on 
the  basis  of  14  per  cent,  tare — ^which,  however,  is 
usually  a few  points  higher. — Dor  Scitenfabrikaui. — 
Oi/  I'dint  a7ul  JIjU'i  /I'ejiortn-,  .lune  8. 
A I’oisONOU.s  Okchii). — A com|>arativcly  (ami- 
mon  orchid,  the  Ci/prijn'diani  spcctabile,  one  of 
the  olde.st  of  cultivated  specie.?,  has  been  dis- 
covered by  Mr.  I).  E.  MacDougal,  according  to 
the  Revue  SeieulijUpte,  to  posse.ss  decided  poisonous 
))ioperties.  “The.se  properties,”  says  tlie  A'ce/o', 
“ are  localised  in  tlie  leaves  and  stems  ; they  mani- 
fest themselves  by  a s])ecial  cutaneous  irritation 
in  those  wlio  are  so  inijirndent  as  to  handle  tlu' 
orchid  in  question.  This  irritation  rccall.s  lliat 
wliich  appears  in  ))or.soii.s  who  have  liaudled  7iVu/.9 
[[loison  ivy  ).  Tiie  siihstancc  that  causes  tlie  eHecls 
consists  of  an  oily  matter  secreted  h^^  tlie  glan- 
dular hairs.  Tiiis  matter  is  found,  as  in  the 
Ciuiie.se  primrose,  deposited  between  the  cellular 
wall  and  the  cuticleof  the  terminal  cellule  of  I lie 
liaii  ; it  is  set  free  liy  the  rupture  of  tlie  cuticle. 
This  poi.sonous  sultstance  seems  to  perforin  the 
inaction  of  protecting  tlie  ri'proilnctive  jiort ion  of 
the  jdant,  fi  r tiie  virulence  of  the  |)oison  and  the 
quantity  secreted  incro.ise  as  tho  (ilant  d-vclops 
ami  attains  a maximum  during  the  formation  of 
the  seeds.” 
