6 Field Museum of Natural History 



in large quantities in France and Germany. The 

 United States imported in the month of September of 

 1921, 3,000,000 pounds of husked coconuts and copra. 

 The normal monthly European consumption is at least 

 fifteen to twenty times as great. The production is 

 capable of almost indefinite expansion. 



The husk of the coconut is also of considerable 

 value. It furnishes a fibre known as coir (pronounced 

 kir, Portuguese cairo from Malayalam kayar, rope, 

 cord) and is one of the principal brush, belting, matting 

 and rope making materials. Cordage made from it is 

 rough, but light and has the virtue of floating which 

 is advantageous for certain purposes, as for ship's 

 cables. Even paper has been made from coir, at least 

 one factory for the purpose existing in the Straits 

 Settlement. Certain species of coconut are especially 

 cultivated for coir, since they yield large quantities of 

 fibre. Coir and copra production are, however, almost 

 mutually exclusive — copra requiring the mature fruit 

 while a good quality of coir must be made from the 

 green husk. 



The wood of the coco palm is known as "porcupine 

 wood." It is furnished only by the outer part of the 

 cylindrical trunk, the central core being simply fibrous. 

 Its usefulness is rather limited and restricted mostly 

 to regions where it grows. The bast-like leaf sheaths 

 are used for native clothing, the leaves for plaiting 

 and thatching, the fibrous core of the trunk, for cord- 

 age and brushes, in fact every part of this tropical tree 

 is utilized. From the inner shell of the nut, dippers, 

 cups and other vessels are easily fashioned. The Mus- 

 eum displays a varied collection of these as well as of 

 all other coconut products, such as oil, sugar, candles, 

 cordage, brushes, mats. 



The Dutch East Indies, Ceylon, Straits Settle- 

 ments, Philippines, India, Zanzibar, South America 



[14] 



