﻿Cultivated 
  Elementary 
  Species 
  83 
  

  

  when 
  it 
  resembles 
  agate. 
  Finally 
  the 
  un- 
  

   expanded 
  terminal 
  bud 
  is 
  a 
  delicate 
  article 
  of 
  

   food. 
  Many 
  other 
  uses 
  could 
  be 
  mentioned, 
  but 
  

   these 
  may 
  suffice 
  to 
  indicate 
  how 
  closely 
  the 
  life 
  

   of 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  is 
  bound 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  culture 
  

   of 
  this 
  palm, 
  and 
  how 
  sharply, 
  in 
  consequence, 
  

   its 
  qualities 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  watched 
  by 
  early 
  

   man. 
  Any 
  divergence 
  from 
  the 
  ordinary 
  type 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  noted; 
  those 
  which 
  were 
  in- 
  

   jurious 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  rejected, 
  but 
  the 
  useful 
  

   ones 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  appreciated 
  and 
  propa- 
  

   gated. 
  In 
  a 
  word 
  any 
  degree 
  of 
  variability 
  

   afforded 
  by 
  nature 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  noticed 
  and 
  

   cultivated. 
  

  

  More 
  than 
  fifty 
  different 
  sorts 
  of 
  the 
  coco- 
  

   nut 
  are 
  described 
  from 
  the 
  Indian 
  shores 
  and 
  

   islands, 
  with 
  distinct 
  local 
  and 
  botanical 
  names. 
  

   Miquel, 
  who 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  systematists 
  of 
  

   tropical 
  plants, 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  century, 
  described 
  a 
  

   large 
  number 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  since, 
  more 
  have 
  

   been 
  added. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  useful 
  qualities 
  vary 
  in 
  

   a 
  higher 
  or 
  lesser 
  degree 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  varie- 
  

   ties. 
  The 
  fibrous 
  strands 
  of 
  the 
  rind 
  of 
  the 
  

   nut 
  are 
  developed 
  in 
  some 
  forms 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  

   length 
  and 
  strength 
  as 
  to 
  yield 
  the 
  industrial 
  

   product 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  coir-fibre. 
  Only 
  three 
  of 
  

   them 
  are 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Miquel 
  that 
  have 
  

   this 
  quality, 
  the 
  Cocos 
  nucifera 
  rutila, 
  cupuli- 
  

   f 
  or 
  mis 
  and 
  stupposa. 
  Among 
  them 
  the 
  rutila 
  

  

  