June 1, 1872.] 
970 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
137,000 cwt., worth about £45,000, for the mere husk of 
the cocoa-nut. 
A cocoa-nut tree, growing in a favourable soil in 
Ceylon, may produce from 80 to 100 nuts annually, hav¬ 
ing trom^eight to 12 branches, or spadices, each bearing 
nve to 15 nuts. It continues to bear for 60 or 70 years. 
I he pericarp of 40 nuts gives about 61b. of coir. In 
some, parts of Ceylon the natives separate the coir by 
burying the husks along the borders of the extensive 
salt-water lakes, whence, after a few months, they are 
dug out very clean, the fibres easily separating from the 
cellular tissue of the husk. This mode of preparing the 
fibre prevents the offensive smell emanating from mace¬ 
rating the husk in water. 
I he following is an analysis of the cocoa-nut:—- 
Water . . 
.... 39-7 
Albumen . 
.... 0-5 
Emulsin . 
.... 1-1 
Oil. 
.... 29-3 
Amygdalin . . . 
.... 14-0 
Sugar. 
.... 3-6 
Woody fibre . . . 
.... 9-5 
Gum. 
.... 1-2 
Mineral matter . . 
.... 0-2 
100-0 
'Or, in other words, the proportions in one pound of the 
kernel are:— 
Water. 
oz. grs. 
Albumen. 
Emulsin . . . 
Oil. 
Amygdalin. 
Sugar f . 
Woody fibre .... 
Gum. 
Mineral matter . . . 
. . 14 
The oil is ordinarily procured by first extracting the 
kernel from its outer integument or shell, and boiling it 
in water. It is then pounded, and subjected to strong 
pressure. After boiling over a slow fire, the oil floats on 
the surface. This is skimmed off as it rises, and again 
boiled by itself, Fourteen or fifteen nuts will yield 
about two quarts of oil. A somewhat different practice 
obtains on. the Malabar Coast. The kernel is divided 
into half pieces, which are laid on shelves, and under¬ 
neath a charcoal fire is kept in order to dry them. 
After two or three days they are placed on mats, and 
laid in the sun to dry, after w r hich they are put in the oil 
press. When the oil is well extracted by this method, 
.a hundred nuts will yield about two and a half gallons 
<of oil. This is the method usually resorted to when the 
oil is required for exportation, the former "when merely 
■used for culinary purposes. 
Of late years the application of steam power or hy¬ 
draulic pressure for the purpose of procuring the oil has 
been attended with the greatest advantage in Ceylon. 
It is requisite that care should be taken not to apply too 
•great and sudden a pressure at once, but by degrees an 
increasing force, so as not to choke the conducting 
•c hannels of the oil in the press. The oil becomes solid at 
about ( 0 °. It is cui’ious that wffien cocoa-nut oil is first 
manufactux-ed there is no unpleasant smell for the first 
30 or 40 hours, but after that it acquires that rancid 
taste and peculiar odour which no scent will entirely 
kill. Fi’esh expressed cocoa-nut oil is used by the Malay 
women in the Eastern Archipelago in the haii\ It is 
jieriumed by allowing the flowers of the jasmine, the 
tuberose, and other plants to remain for some time in it, 
the fat oil of the nut extracting and retaining the essen¬ 
tial oil of the fragrant flowei-s. Cochin oil bears a higher 
price than that of Ceylon. Poonac, or the refuse oil- 
wcake, is sold as food for poultry and for manure. 
_ The trade in cocoa-nut oil is steadily increasing at the 
Seychelles ; fresh plantations are being laid out, and 
others coming into bearing. The quantity shipped in 
1869 was 127,112 gallons, valued locally at about £16,000. 
From Penang there is an export trade in oil and coppcrah. 
Cocoa-nuts are grown in small quantities throughout the 
Straits Settlements, but it is only here and there that 
plantations of any magnitude are met with. 
Coir is the fibi'ous rind of the nuts, with which the 
latter are thickly covei’ed. There are several ways of 
stripping the fibre from the husk. One is by placing a 
stake or iron spike in the ground, and by striking the 
nut on the point the fibre is easily stripped. The fibre 
is greatly improved in quality and appearance by beat¬ 
ing, washing and soaking. The tannin which this sub¬ 
ject contains prevents the fibre from rotting. The fibre 
is rather difficult to twist, but coir-yarn is made into 
good ropes, and forms the strongest, lightest and most 
elastic cables for ships. 
The fibrous husk of the cocoa-nut is not its least valu¬ 
able product, and gives rise to a very large trade both 
in the East and to Eui'opc. At first it was much used in 
this countiy for stuffing mattresses and cushions, but its 
applications have been enlax-ged and its value greatly 
increased by mechanical pi'oeesses ; and in a small pam¬ 
phlet issued by Mr. Treloar tw r enty ycai’s ago, he stated 
that its natural capabilities having been brought out, coir 
has been found suited for the production of a variety of 
articles of great utility and elegance of workmanship, 
table mats, fancy baskets and bonnets. Instead of being 
formed into rough cordage only, and mats fabricated by 
hand, by means of ingeniously constructed machineiy, 
the fibre is rendei-ed sufficiently fine for the loom, and 
matting of different textures wdth coloured figures is pra- 
duced, -while a combination of wool in pleasing designs 
gives the richness and effect of hearthiaigs and carpeting. 
Brushes and bi-ooms for household and stable pui-poses ; 
netting for sheepfolds, pheasantries, and poultry-yards, 
church cushions and hassocks ; hammocks, clothes 
lines, cordage of all sizes, and string for nurserymen and 
others; for tying up ti'ees and other garden purposes ; 
nose bags for horses ; mats and bags for seed crushers, 
oil pi’essers, and candle manufacturers, are only a few of 
the varied pui’poses to which the fibrous coating of the 
cocoa-nut is now applied. The cocoa-nut shell furnishes 
cups which, carved on and set in silver, are a gx-eat 
ornament. It also makes small baskets, cups, ladles, 
spoons, and other such domestic articles, and fanciful 
ornaments. By being burned and pulvei’ized and pre¬ 
pared wdth other ingredients, it produces blacking not 
inferior to Day and Martin’s, lamp black, black-paint, 
etc. 
The fruit of the Chili palm (Cocm chilensis) is, in 
every respect like the cocoa-nut, except that it is not 
larger than a walnut, about an inch in diameter. Every 
tree produces a great number, which are highly esteemed, 
and they form a considerable article of export to Peru. 
A curious method is employed to free the nut from the 
green husk in wdiich it is enveloped, a process that was 
formerly attended wdth a very great loss of time and 
labour. A number of cow r s and oxen are driven into an 
enclosure, v T here a quantity of the fruit is spread, and 
being fond of its husk they immediately begin to feed on 
the fruit, only slightly masticating it in the first instance, 
and swmllowdng the w r hole. Afterwards, wdiile chewdng 
the cud, the nuts ai'e rejected, and when the meal is 
finished, a heap of them is found before each ot the 
animals, perfectly free from the husk, and thus the 
cattle are supplied wdth food at a season when little 
grass remains on the hills. 
Befoi’e leaviug cocoa-nuts, I must not omit mention of 
the sea cocoa-nut of the Indian Ocean, the produce ot 
Locloiced Scychcllarum. 
The fruit, from floating in the sea, was known long 
before the plant which produces it, or the locality in 
which it w r as found, and vai'ioxis fables were invented as 
to its origin, and marvellous virtues attributed to it. 
