( 3 ) 



On the other side of this table case there is a miscellaneous 

 display of Tamil silver waist-bands, charms, a Mudaliyar's dress 

 sword, &c. 



Products of the Palmyra Palm.— This palm grows in the 

 low-lying dry parts of the Island. There are extensive native 

 plantations in the Northern Province, especially in the Jaffna 

 Peninsula and the outlying islands. It shares with the Cocoanut 

 Palm and the Date Palm the distinction of providing more 

 serviceable commodities for the use of man than any other single 

 species in the vegetable kingdom. As already mentioned, the 

 leaves are employed in the manufacture of olas ; they are also 

 used for fences, thatching, fans, mats, hats, baskets, water balers, 

 and umbrellas. 



The fruits ripen in the months of August and September, when 

 they fall to the ground, and are sometimes eaten raw, but more 

 generally roasted [W. Ferguson]. They vary in qualities of 

 colour, smell, taste, and shape. From the fleshy part of the fruit 

 a sweet farinaceous jelly is prepared, called Palmyra Pulp or 

 " punatoo." The nuts are sown under loose sandy soil, and the 

 very young subterranean saplings, after being cleaned and dried, 

 yield the Palmyra Flour. 



Palmyra Toddy is prepared from the sap of the flower buds, 

 which are tapped by the toddy drawers during the months of 

 November and December, the rainy season of the Northern 

 Province. 



Sugar or "jaggery " is prepared from sweet toddy, «.e., from the 

 palm juice which has been prevented from undergoing fermenta- 

 tion by coating the inside of the toddy receiver with lime or 

 " chunam." 



On the top of the case there are models of a Jaffna bungalow 

 with Palmyra RooAu^, a shelter for watchers in the paddy fields, 

 a manger, and a platform for grain. 



The Palmyra Palm is dioecious, i.e., the male and female flownre 

 are on different trees. In a plantation half the trees will be male 

 and half female. The female tree yields superior timber and a 

 greater quantity of toddy than the male tree. 



The model of the Palmyra Palm and other articles in this case 

 were presented by Sir W. C. Twynam, K.C.M.G. 



Commercial Products. — Until 1880 coffee was the staple export 

 since the British occupation. During the Dutch administration 

 the Government held a monopoly of the cultivation of cinnamon, 

 but this industry is fast disappearing under competition with 

 other countries. The Cinnamon Gardens of Colombo are noted 

 for the extreme rarity of the cinnamon shrubs, whole plantations 



