Labour-Saving Devices

For The Planter

A FACTORY in the Netherlands manufactures the “Cocomatic,” an automatic coconut pick-up which has made the working of a coconut plantation more economical.

This machine—which is drawn by a jeep—collects all the fallen nuts by means of an automatic scoop and throws them into a cart.

The scoop follows with precision, the unevenness of the ground, and so all the nuts are picked up. In this way one driver can bring in 60,000 nuts in the course of a day, which can be dealt with immediately and, preferably, under cover. Collection is so rapid that only one jeep or tractor is needed on a large planta tion.

The “cocomatic” can do 3.7 miles an hour. Its working breadth is 3.1 yards.

The inventor of this machine has also invented an instrument which will speed up work in the factory.

It fits in the hand like a pistol, and he claims that the workman using it can remove the pulp from the coconut with a few movements.

This instrument works with atmos pheric pressure and speeds up the production of copra considerably.— From Netherlands Information Ser vice,