FOREST TREES AND PRODUCTS OF THE TROPICS 215 
spongy in the center. The outer wood of the coconut- 
palm is called poreupine-wood, because when cut in 
a certain way the fibers resemble the quills of the 
porcupine. 
The production of coffee and chocolate should be 
classed as forest industries, because they are shade- 
demanders, at least in youth, and grow well under 
forest conditions. This is especially so in the case of 
the chocolate. In Trinidad a tree called Hrythrina 
umbrosa is used so much to shade the cacao-trees that 
the Spanish natives call it the “ Madre de Cacao,” 
or the mother of the chocolate. It is, however, more 
of the nature of a nurse than a mother tree. The 
seeds of the chocolate, which are about the size of a 
chestnut, are formed in a gourd-like pod which hangs 
from the trunk and larger branches. These “ beans ” 
> 
“ee 
or nuts, or, to be accurate, “seeds,” are removed 
from the pod, carefully cured, and then shipped 
north to be converted into various grades of choco- 
late. 
The term “nut” is very loosely applied. It is 
often used for want of a better term. It usually 
means a seed with a hard shell which does not open 
when ripe. In this category are classed many dis- 
similar seeds, such as the coconut and chestnut. 
‘ 
Another peculiar “nut ” is the “ musk-nut,” or nut- 
meg, a well-known forest product. The fruit con- 
