MANY OR SPECIAL PURPOSES 337 



like vegetable, the heart of the palmetto! Delic- 

 ious food and drink come from the coco palm; 

 wax from two species; resin for unnumbered uses 

 from the palm called the "dragon's blood." 



The savage tips his spears and his poisoned 

 arrows with the spines of certain kinds of palm 

 leaves. He makes knives of keen edge of the thin, 

 hard edges of leaf stems. Tanning materials from 

 palms are used in the making of fine leathers. 

 Dyes are derived from other kinds. Valuable 

 oils are among the best products of palm trees. 



THE COCO-NUT PALM 



The coco-nut palm grows best on the shelly, 

 barren soil of tropical shores. It loves the sea air, 

 and as it grows, leans toward the water! A crown 

 of leaves shelters the clustered nuts that turn from 

 green to brown as they ripen. 



It is the delight of native boys and men to run 

 up the trees and throw down nuts, to the wonder 

 of strangers, who pay the acrobats well for their 

 feats, and who enjoy the fresh food and drink thus 

 supplied. Inside the shiny, brown, three-cor- 

 nered husk is the hard-shelled nut, lined with a 

 thick layer of white meat, rich in flavor and in food 

 value. The husk yields the useful fibre known in 



commerce as " coir. " 



