facture of fine
candles, and is still occasionally in demand for this purpose in the
Philippines, in combination with the vegetable tallow of a species
of Stillingia. It is largely consumed in lamps, made of a tumbler or
drinking glass half filled with water, on top of which float a few
spoonfuls of oil, into which the wick is plunged. In remote barrios it
is still in general use as a street illuminant, and so perfect is its
combustion that under a constant flicker it emits little or no smoke.

When freshly expressed, the oil is an exceptionally good cooking fat,
and enters largely into the dietary of our own people. The medicinal
uses of the oil are various, and in the past it has been strongly
advocated for the cure of eczema, burns, as a vermifuge, and even
as a substitute for cod-liver oil in phthisis. Its medicinal virtues
are now generally discredited, except as a restorative agent in the
loss of hair resulting from debilitating fevers. Its value in this
direction may be surmised from the splendid heads of hair possessed
by the Filipino women, who generally use the oil as a hair dressing.

Cocoanut oil is derived from the fleshy albumen or meat of the ripe
fruit, either fresh or dried. The thoroughly dried meat is variously
known as copra, coprax, and copraz. The exportation of copra is
detrimental to the best interests of the planter, tending to enrich
the manufacturer and impoverish the grower. The practice, however,
is so firmly established that the writer can only record a probably
futile protest against its continuance.

The causes which for a long time will favor the exportation of copra
instead of oil in this Archipelago may be briefly stated as follows:

(1) An oil-milling plant, constructed with due regard to economy of
labor and the production of the best quality of oil, would involve
an outlay of capital of $2,500, gold, and upward, according to
capacity. The production of copra requires the labor of the planter's
hands only.

(2) The oil packages must be well-made barrels, casks, or metallic
receptacles. The initial cost of the packages is consequently great,
their return from distant ports impracticable, and their sale value
in the market of delivery is not sufficient to offset the capital
locked up in an unproductive form. On the other hand, copra may be
sold or shipped in boxes, bags, sacks, and bales, or it may even be
stored in bulk in the ship's hold.

(3) When land transportation has to b