14 THE COCONUT AND ITS PRODUCTS 



other similar purposes. The older leaves fall 

 every year, scarring the tree in the manner de- 

 scribed. The roots of the coconut palm shoot in 

 very large numbers from the stem below ground, 

 and spread out laterally in all directions. They 

 are red in colour, about as thick as a man's finger 

 near their origin, and sometimes attain a length of 

 50 ft. Around the trunk they form a practically 

 compact mass, several feet thick, while further out 

 they become separated from one another. Some 

 of them penetrate for a considerable depth into 

 the soil, but the majority occur within a foot or 

 two of the surface, so that the tree must be classed 

 as a surface feeder. The fruit of the coconut is 

 more or less ovoid, its exact shape depending 

 upon the variety of the nut. This also governs 

 the size, which often surpasses that of a man's 

 head. 



Beneath the smooth outer skin is a fibrous 

 covering, or husk, ranging up to two inches in 

 thickness, according to the variety. Beneath this 

 is the nut as known to commerce. Its shell, which 

 is very hard, has three more or less longitudinal 

 ridges and three well-defined hollows at the base, 

 corresponding to the three original carpels. Inside 

 the shell is a hollow white kernel containing much 

 oil. This kernel varies considerably in thickness, 

 according to the age and variety of the palm. 

 When young it is thin and jelly-like, but as the 



