148 USEFUL PLANTS OF GUAM. 
source of the ben oil of commerce, which is much prized asa lubricant 
by watch makers and is sometimes used in the West Indies as a salad 
oil. Dilo oil is derived from the fruit of Calophyllum inophyllum, 
and peanuts and sesame are well known oil-yielding plants. An 
acrid, oily liquid called ‘‘cardol” has been derived from the shells of 
vashew nuts (Anacard/um occidentale). It is used to varnish furni- 
ture and books as a protection against white ants and other pests. 
These oils are not prepared by the natives of Guam. 
TEXTILE AND THATCH PLANTS. 
FIBER PLANTS.—Among the monocotyledons yielding fiber are the 
coconut (Cocos nucifera), from the husks of which is derived the coir 
which is twisted and braided into cords and sennit; the pineapple 
(Ananas ananas), the leaves of which yield a beautiful, fine, silky 
fiber, which the natives of Guam twist into thread for making the 
finer fish nets; the abakaé, or manila hemp (M/usa fertil/s), introduced 
from the Philippines, and growing without care on the part of the 
natives, but not utilized by them on account of the labor and skill 
necessary to extract its fiber; and a species of Agave, called ** lirio de 
palo,” evidently introduced from Mexico, the leaves of which yield an 
excellent fiber, which in Guam is utilized only for wrapping cigars. 
In addition to these, a palm called ‘cabo negro” has been introduced 
from the Philippines. This species, which is known to commerce as 
the ** gomuto,” is Saguverus pinnatus. Its stem when young is entirely 
covered with sheaths of fallen leaves and black, horsehair-like fibers, 
which issue in great abundance from their margins. As the tree 
increases in age these drop off, leaving a columnar stem or trunk. In 
the Malay Archipelago the thickest fibers are used by the natives as 
styles for writing on leaves of other palms. The finest fibers are 
known in Eastern commerce as gomuto or ejoo fiber, and are much 
used for making strong cordage, particularly for cables and standing 
rigging of vessels, whence the name ‘cabo negro,” or ‘* black rope” is 
given it in the Philippines. The ropes made of this fiber are not pliable 
enough for running rigging or for fine cordage. The fibers need no 
preparation but spinning or twisting. Cabo negro ropes are said to 
be more durable than any other kind when subjected to repeated wet- 
ting. At the base of the leaves there is a woolly material suitable for 
calking the seams of vessels. The species grows well in Guam, but 
on account of the abundance of other fibers it is not utilized by the 
natives. 
Among the dicotyledons the principal fiber plants belong to the 
Malvaceae, Tiliaceae, Urticaceae, and Moraceae. The chief of all is 
Pariti tiliaceum, a tree widely spread over the tropical regions of the 
world, from the inner bark of which ropes and twine are twisted. — Its 
use for this purpose is so extensive in Guam that there is scarcely a 
