CH. V] COCONUTS AND OTHER PALMS 81 



a tall straight-growing palm, fruiting only at one season of 

 the year. It has innumerable native and local uses, an old 

 Tamil song enumerating 801, but from the point of view of 

 export trade, the most important product of the palm is the 

 fibres at the bases of the leaves, which are exported under the 

 name of Palmyra fibre, and used for making brushes, hard 

 brooms, and for other purposes. As far as local uses are 

 concerned, the greatest is the preparation of sugar or jaggery, 

 and of toddy for drinking, whilst arrack is also made. The 

 fruit is edible, the large fan-shaped leaves are used as thatch, 

 and for fencing, the leaves cut into strips are employed in 

 weaving baskets, toys, matting, etc., the stems are used as 

 building posts and rafters, and as piles in salt water, for which 

 purpose they are very well adapted. In many other ways this 

 palm is almost as useful as the coconut. 



Areca Palm. This is another palm the cultivation of 

 which is of great importance in the east, for nearly every 

 native " chews betel," i.e. he chews a mixture of areca nut, lime, 

 and various flavouring matters, such as tobacco or cardamoms, 

 wrapped up in a leaf of the betel pepper, Piper Betle. This 

 act turns the saliva red like blood, and is somewhat disgusting 

 to watch, but it must not be hastily condemned. For one 

 thing it gives the rice-feeding native some lime in his diet, 

 an item which is often lacking in it. Now that betel chewing 

 is being to some extent replaced by smoking, this question 

 of how to provide lime becomes more pressing. The cultiva- 

 tion of this palm is carried on upon a large scale in Ceylon, 

 India, Java, etc., usually in the mixed garden cultivation of 

 the villagers, but sometimes in regular plantations. The palm 

 bears at about the sixth year, and when in full fruit each gives 

 about 300 nuts a year. 



Kitul or Toddy Palm. This palm (Caryota urens) is 



cultivated in the mixed garden cultivation of the natives of 



Ceylon and wherever else it is indigenous. The flower stalk is 



tapped for toddy, just as in the coconut, and sugar is also made 



w. 6 



