Copra

Storing Coco

Nuts

“Beautiful’’ Quality of Copra

But Too Expensive

A subscriber in Samarai, Papua, has written to us as follows; “If coconuts are husked and stacked in sheds, away from light and rain, will they eventually turn into copra, after a period of 4 months or longer?

“It is said that, in Tonga and New Caledonia, coconuts have been stacked for many months, at times, in native built houses, and, alter a period, they can be shelled and the meat is as good as sun-dried or Chulla-dried copra, and almost ready to bag for export. Such copra is said to be far superior to that produced from other methods of dry ing.

“I would be obliged if your paper could gather any information in the matter, as same will be of great help to the coconut-growers at present, ow ing to the low figure offering for copra in the Islands.”

A representative of P.I.M. referred this inquiry to a copra-producer, with many years’ experience in the Pacific, who controls many plantations. He replied as follows: It is possible to make copra in the way described. I have seen it made by this method in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, where the nuts are husked and then stacked in houses. After some months the moisture in the nuts evaporates and the meat turns into a beautiful quality of copra. But it would be almost impracticable to adopt such a method on the large plantations, because of the heavy expense involved in husking and stacking, with no pros pect of an eatrly return. I cannot say just how manv months it takes to make copra by this method.