400 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



floating on the water. The hard stony nut of the Bahia piassdba is 

 used for the manufacture of buttons. 



The stiff parts of the fibers of some palms are used by the native 

 Indians to make combs. The tucum is much used along the coast in 

 the manufacture of fishing nets and fishing lines. It is extracted by 

 scraping away the fleshy part of the leaflet with a dull knife. The 

 tucum palms are abundant in the Amazonas valley and in the forest- 



'crocoTnca. 



Fig. 16. E.xAMPLEs OF Palm Nuts ; Natural Sizes. 



covered parts of Brazil as far south as the State of Espirito Santo, and 

 possibly further. The abundance of the plants and the remarkable 

 strength of the fiber seem to make it possible to turn the plant to more 

 extensive use. 



Flowers. — The flowers of palm trees are very short-lived, and are 

 therefore not available for ornamental purposes. A newly-opened 

 spathe, however, especially of the large trees, is an impressive sight. I 

 have never observed any marked odors about the flowers of palms, but 



