MARGARINE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 78, 26 December 1917, Page 8

MARGARINE

Tho raw material of margarino ' is argely oil made from coconuts and palm oil kernels, but Central and South America, appear to possess an hdidtional source of supply in the shape if nuts from vthe cohuna palm. The fruit Langs in large clusters near the bases of the leaves, states the "Scientific American," and is encased in a hard shell about three-tenths of an inch thick, while.the kernel measures 2in. to 3in. in length , by ljin, in diameter. Until recently some difficulty had been experienced in cracking the shells of these nuts, but machines have, now , been devised for that purpose, which give satisfactory results. About a quart of oil is obtained from 100 nuts, and an average tree produces 1000 nuts annually. It is estimated 'that in British Honduras there are

2;! cohime palms to the acre, in which cuso the colon; should h> capable of producing 270,000/ ions of oil per annum. Spanish Honduras and Guatemala, are said to have a still larger number of trees, and eohuno mit oil is ivorth inoro in the open market than that derived from coconuts.