Chapter I 



The Commercial Value of 

 the Coconut 



IT is no exaggeration to say that the average 

 man knows practically nothing of the coconut. 

 He may be aware of the existence of coconut 

 oil, and may even entertain some hazy notion of 

 its value as a commercial commodity, but in the 

 main he is satisfied that the coconut serves its 

 principal purpose as an adjunct to the Bank 

 Holiday revels of the more exuberant classes. 

 Mention coconuts and the mere association of 

 ideas will conjure up for him visions of a joy-day 

 on Hampstead Heath with " three shies a penny" 

 as the centre of attraction ; or he may possibly 

 recall an ancient farce in which the leading parts 

 are allotted to a mariner, a monkey and a coconut. 

 Suggest to him that the coconut is one of Nature's 

 most remarkable products, that it is to-day an 

 indispensable factor in the daily lives of millions 



