226 FLORIDA FRUITS COCOA-NUTS. 



In appearance awack another name for toddy is clear 

 and transparent, and of a light straw color. Ceylon alone 

 exports annually from five thousand to six thousand leag- 

 uers, each containing one hundred and fifty gallons. 



Nor are these the only gifts bestowed by the wounded 

 flower, which, be it observed, is of large size and purely 

 white, as befitting so beneficent a spirit. By adding a small 

 quantity of pageny to the sweet suri, a strong cement is 

 obtained, which is capable of receiving a beautiful polish ; 

 walls are prepared for the reception of this cement by 

 wetting them with a strong infusion of the husk of unripe 

 cocoa-nuts, a fluid which is also used in mixing the ma- 

 terials. 



In Madras roofs are covered, and columns and floors 

 are overlaid with this pageny cement, the latter being fre- 

 quently stained so as to resemble the finest marble. In 

 Holland, too, this strange cement has been satisfactorily 

 employed for various purposes. 



We come now to the leaves, which, always beautiful, are 

 also infinitely useful. 



At the base of each young leaf, inclosing and protecting 

 it from harm, we find a net-work of fiber, which presents 

 the exact appearance of coarse cloth, the threads crossing 

 each other with great regularity. 



The Papuans and Tahitians convert this strange cloth 

 into a garment, simply by joining its edges with a fiber 

 obtained from the same tree, and leaving a hole in the 

 center through which to pass the head. This garment is 

 usually worn by the native fishermen ; its strength, dura- 

 bility, and freedom from injury by sea-water rendering it 

 especially desirable for such pursuits. When fresh from 

 the tree it is beautifully white and as transparent as lace, 

 its pure delicacy suggesting the use to which it is fre- 

 quently applied the construction of cradles for infants. 



