13 



Spirits are distilled and in some places sugar is still made from the 

 flower sap; and, while the importance of these great staples may not be 

 overlooked, their commercial value as products of this tree are relatively 

 insignificant. 



MINOR USES. 



In addition to eighty-three utilities described by Mr. Pereira, 1 it is in 

 very common use in the Philippines for : 



1. Cocoanut cream. The freshly ground fruit, reduced to a pulp and 

 strained, is consumed in that form or made into cakes with rice. It 

 makes a delicious and nutritious food. According to Dr. W. J. Gies, in 

 experiments lately published, 2 its nutritive value is due to 35.4 per cent 

 of oil, about 10 per cent of carbohydrates, and 3 per cent of protein. 

 The amount of cellulose (fibrous matter) is only 3 per cent, and its di- 

 gestibility is easy when the mass, by grating, is reduced to a fine degree 

 of comminution. 



2. The "milk" or water is used sparingly as a beverage. It is also 

 fermented and converted into inferior vinegar. 



3. The hard shell is used as fuel. When calcined, it produces a black, 

 lustrous substance, used for dyeing leather. 



4. The same shell, aside from many uses quoted byPereira, is used here 

 for every conceivable form of cup, ladle, scoop, and spoon. 



5. From the tough midrib of the leaf, strong and beautiful baskets of 

 many designs are made, also excellent and durable brooms, and from the 

 part where the midrib coalesces with the petiole pot-cleaning brushes are 

 made. 



6. The roots are sometimes used for chewing, as a substitute for Areca. 

 They also furnish red dyestuff and with one end finely subdivided may be 

 used in making toothbrushes. 



7. The leaves and midribs, when burned, furnish an ash so rich in 

 potash that it may be used alone in water as a substitute for soap or 

 when a powerful detergent is required. 



8. The fiber of the husk is used extensively by the natives for calking 

 boats. 



9. The milk is used in the preparation of a native dish of rice, known 

 as "casi." It is an excellent and highly prized dietary article, prepared 

 with rice or in combination with chicken or locusts. 



10. The oil, melted with resins, is an effective and lasting covering for 

 anything desired to be protected from the ravages of white ants. 



11. The timber is used to bridge streams and bog holes, and the slowly 

 decaying leaves to fill them up and render them temporarily passable. 



12. The fiber is used in cordage and rope making, but to a far less 

 extent here than in India. 



1 Quoted in "Watts's Diet," II, 456. 



2 Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, 1902. 



