OF THE CoCOANl-T DURING GERMINATION 325 



erty.* The cocoanut lias been used as a vermifuge in India for 

 probably forty generations by the beef eaters of that country and 

 is there well known as a means of expelling the flat worm.t The 

 small, green and immature nut is grated fine for medicinal use, 

 and when mixed with the oil of the ripe nut becomes a healing 

 ointment. 



The fibrous husk (coir) is widely used for the construction of 

 ropes, brushes, bags, matting, etc. The compact fleshy edible 

 portion (copra), closely lining the hard shell and which is entirely 

 fluid or gelatinous when young, contains a large proportion of fat, 

 which is extracted and used for various commercial purposes, such 

 as the manufacture of fine soaps and candles and frequently as a 

 substitute for butter. Cocoanut oil and resin melted together 

 yield a substance capable of being used with success in filling up 

 the seams of boats and ships, and in tropical countries for cover- 

 ing the corks of bottles as a protection against the depredations 

 of the white ant. A quart of the oil may be obtained from six to 

 ten nuts. The hard shell is easily polished and lends itself to the 

 formation of various utensils and ornaments. It also has a high 

 fuel value. 



Although considerable is known of the constituents of the 

 cocoanut, of its nutritive value and commercial uses, little has 

 been done to ascertain the nature of the changes which the nut 

 undergoes during germination. At the suggestion of Dr. Mac- 

 Dougal we have undertaken such a study, more especially from 

 the chemical standpoint, and although our work in this particular 

 connection has not been quite as fruitful as we had hoped it might 

 be, our results are not without some interest. 



II. Chemical Composition of the ungerminated Cocoanut 

 Before beginning our work on the germinating seed we felt it 

 desirable to make ourselves thoroughly familiar with the chemical 

 qualities of the ungerminated nut. This seemed all the more 

 desirable because of the incomplete as well as the disconnected 

 chemical data thus far recorded in this connection. This purpose 

 was accomplished in a large number of analyses of numerous 



* United States Dispensatory, 1619. 1899. 



t American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 67 : 281. 1889. 



