﻿Cultivated 
  Elementary 
  Species 
  85 
  

  

  varieties 
  are 
  growing 
  in 
  Asia 
  and 
  have 
  as 
  yet 
  

   not 
  been 
  observed 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  America, 
  where 
  

   the 
  coconut 
  is 
  only 
  of 
  subordinate 
  importance, 
  

   being 
  one 
  of 
  many 
  useful 
  plants, 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  

   only 
  one 
  relied 
  upon 
  by 
  the 
  natives 
  for 
  their 
  sub- 
  

   sistence. 
  If 
  therefore, 
  De 
  Candolle's 
  opinion 
  

   is 
  the 
  right 
  one, 
  the 
  question 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  

   varieties 
  are 
  older 
  or 
  younger 
  than 
  the 
  culti- 
  

   vated 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  must 
  always 
  remain 
  

   obscure. 
  But 
  if 
  the 
  proofs 
  of 
  an 
  American 
  

   origin 
  should 
  be 
  forthcoming, 
  the 
  possibility, 
  

   and 
  even 
  the 
  probability 
  that 
  the 
  varieties 
  are 
  

   of 
  later 
  date 
  than 
  the 
  begining 
  of 
  their 
  culture, 
  

   and 
  have 
  originated 
  while 
  in 
  this 
  condition 
  must 
  

   at 
  once 
  be 
  granted. 
  An 
  important 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  

   controversy 
  is 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  coco- 
  

   nuts 
  were 
  disseminated 
  from 
  shore 
  to 
  shore, 
  

   from 
  island 
  to 
  island. 
  De 
  Candolle, 
  Darwin 
  

   and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  writers 
  claim 
  that 
  the 
  

   dispersal 
  was 
  by 
  natural 
  agencies, 
  such 
  as 
  

   ocean-currents. 
  They 
  point 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  fibrous 
  

   rind 
  or 
  husk 
  would 
  keep 
  the 
  fruits 
  afloat, 
  and 
  

   uninjured, 
  for 
  many 
  days 
  or 
  even 
  many 
  weeks, 
  

   while 
  being 
  carried 
  from 
  one 
  country 
  to 
  another 
  

   in 
  a 
  manner 
  that 
  would 
  explain 
  their 
  geographic 
  

   distribution. 
  But 
  the 
  probability 
  of 
  the 
  nuts 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  thrown 
  upon 
  the 
  strand, 
  and 
  far 
  enough 
  

   from 
  the 
  shore 
  to 
  find 
  suitable 
  conditions 
  for 
  

   their 
  germination, 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  one. 
  To 
  in- 
  

  

  