MANY OR SPECIAL PURPOSES 339 



them in the United States. We know the shred- 

 ded and dried meat of the nuts, that lend such a 

 fine flavor to desserts and candies we make. We 

 do not know cctpra, though. 



The dry meats are shipped under this name 

 from the South Sea Islands and other far regions, 

 to be sold at the factories where presses extract 

 the valuable coco-nut oil of commerce. Planta- 

 tions of the coco palms have been planted in the 

 Old World as oil producers. In the New World, 

 Brazil, and the West Indies, they are set out as 

 fruit plantations. 



THE DATE PALM 



The Arab may well claim that the best palm in 

 all the world is his beautiful, feathery-leaved, 

 desert-loving date palm, the palm of the Bible, 

 and of ancient history in many languages. The 

 hot sun only sweetens and dries the great clusters 

 of dates, that feed the family, the camels, the 

 horses, and the dogs. Wherever the Arab emi- 

 grant has gone, the date palm has followed, and 

 become the dooryard tree, as it is at home. The 

 meanest surroundings, the poorest soil, do not 

 discourage the wonderful plant. Where there is 

 sufficient water it grows, and makes a grateful 



