30 A TRKATlvSE ON NUT CULTURE. 



trees are curiously buttressed in the lower part of the trunk, the space between 

 the buttresses sometimes accommodating half-a-dozen persons. Mr. Bates, the 

 naturalist of the Amazon river, says that he saw many twenty or twenty-five 

 feet in girth where they became cylindrical. Von Martins records some fifty or 

 sixty feet at the same point. Mr. Bates writes thus: " The total height of these 

 trees, stem and crown together, may be estimated at from one hundred and 

 eighty to two hundred feet; where one of them stands, the vast dome of foliage 

 rises above the other forest trees as a domed cathedral does above the other 

 buildings of a city. " The nuts are produced in large wooden capsules, con- 

 taining eighteen to twenty-five of the nuts, which, falling to the ground, are 

 gathered by the natives. When fresh gathered they are very palatable and are 

 largely eaten. They also supply an excellent oil highly valued for cooking 

 and by watchmakers. It is estimated that from Para alone some fifty million 

 of nuts are annually exported. 



In the same forests is found a kindred tree called the cannon-ball tree 

 (Lecythis Ollaria], which produces similar nuts in an urn-shaped receptacle, 

 closed by a lid and called by the natives ' ' monkey pots. ' ' These nuts some- 

 times find their way into the market. They are very like the Brazil nuts, of a 

 rich amber-brown color, with a smooth shell wrinkled longitudinally. Their 

 flavor resembles the almond, and they would doubtless be oifered for sale more 

 frequently if they could be gathered like the Brazil nuts, but when the recep- 

 tacle strikes the ground the lid falls off, the nuts are scattered and are eagerly 

 seized upon by the monkeys and other wild animals. 



Betel Che Win 2" ^ ^ook of travels in the East omits reference to the 

 Betel-chewing habits of the people. It is said that 



one-tenth of the human race are addicted to it, men and women alike. The 

 Betel-nut, called also Areca-nut, is produced by a palm, the Betel-leaf, used 

 also in the mastication, comes from a vine allied to that which supplies black 

 pepper. The Areca palm is common throughout the East Indian region, and 

 is a tall, graceful tree. Its fruit is about the size of a hen's egg, and inside the 

 fibrous rind is the seed called a nut, the albumen of which presents a mottled 

 gray and brown appearance. When ripe it is turned into minor ornaments, 

 such as buttons and beads. For chewing it is gathered before it is ripe, 

 stripped of the husks, boiled in water, cut into slices and dried in the sun. It 

 is then of a brownish-black color. 



The way to chew it is to take a small piece, place it in a betel-leaf with a 

 small lump of shell-lime, and, if you like, a small quantity of cardamous, or 

 some other aromatic herb. 'The mastication causes a copious flow of dark-red 

 saliva, which runs down ttie face in a way better imagined than described. 

 The habit blackens the teeth, but, like all habits, it has its defenders, who aver 

 that it strengthens the gums, sweetens the breath and stimulates digestion. 



