230 PHILIPPINE PALMS 
fermentation. The methods at present used are very crude and 
the product inferior. It contains only from 2 to 3 per cent of 
acetic acid. 
CULTIVATION OF NIPA 
A considerable amount of capital is invested in the nipa-alcohol 
industry. Large distilleries exist in various nipa swamps, which 
latter have been improved by cultivation. Artificial channels have 
been dredged to make the nipa areas more accessible for gather- 
ing and transporting the sap, and in some places the areas have 
been extended by planting. Yet at the present time only a small 
part of the available “nipales” is commercially utilized. 
The best publication on the cultivation of nipa is a small 
pamphlet published in Manila in 1906 by Enrique Zobel, en- 
titled ““Estudio de la planta Nipa’”’. The following information 
is taken from this publication: 
Nipa is planted in the months from May to July, the seeds 
being placed in holes 1.7 to 2 meters apart. The period of 
development does not exceed four years, in which time the plant 
flowers, and can be utilized for the production of alcohol. During 
the first year the plant attains a height of from 1.5 to 2 meters. 
At the end of two years a nipa plant has seven or eight leaves and 
this number is maintained throughout its life. The seeds carried 
by water and deposited on land under shade seem to develop bet- 
ter and to produce healthier plants than those artificially planted 
inthe open. Nipa is not only reproduced by seeds but also by the 
branching of the rhizome. In order to keep a nipal (nipa 
Swamp) in good condition, the plants must be thinned until they 
are from 1.5 to 1.7 meters apart. In doing this it is necessary 
to cut up the roots of the plants removed, to prevent their regen- 
eration. If a nipa swamp is cultivated for the sap, the fresh 
leaves should not be cut; while it is very advantageous to remove 
the drooping or drying leaves, which can be used for thatching 
houses, etc. When roofing material and not tuba is desired, three 
or four fresh leaves may be cut from each plant, but this inter- 
feres with the development of the plant and greatly decreases the 
flow of tuba. 
If nipa is cultivated for alcohol, care should be taken not to 
injure the plant at the time of flowering, as an injury at this 
time is likely to cause the flower to die. The first thing done 
before gathering the sap is the cleaning of the nipal. The ground 
is cleared of weeds and vines and any other obstacles that in- 
terfere with the workman passing between the plants to collect 
tuba. At this time the mature leaves are cut off, tied into 
bundles, and transported to the houses where women make the 
nipa shingles. 
