ISLAND OF (•; I L O L O. 



the bed account of this moil neceffury article : I lluiU therefore 

 borrow from him what is to be faid on the fubje(?t. 



" The fago or hbby tree, has, hke the cocoa-nut tree, no dif- 

 " tin6l bark that peels off, and may be defined a long tube of 

 " hard wood, about two inches thick, containing a pulp or pith, 

 " mixed with many longitudinal fibres. The tree being felled, 

 " it is cut into lengths of about five or fix feet ; a part of the 

 " hard wood is then fliced off, and the workman coming to the 

 " pith, cuts acrofs (generally with an adze made of hard wood 

 " called a neebong) the longitudinal fibres, and the pith to- 

 " gether, leaving a part at each end uncut, fo that, when it is 

 " excavated, there remains a trough, into which the pulp is again 

 *' put, mixed with water, and beat with a piece of wood ; then 

 " the fibres, feparated from the pulp, float at top, and the flour 

 " fubfides. After being cleared in this manner by feveral 

 " waters, the pulp is put into cylindrical bafkets, made of the 

 " leaves of the tree ; and if it is to be kept fome time, thofe 

 " balkets are generally funk in freili water. 



" One tree will produce from two to four hundred weight 

 " of flour; no wonder then if agriculture be neglected, in a 

 " country, where the labour of five men, in felling fago trees, 

 " beating the flour, and inftantly baking the bread, will main- 

 *' tain a hundred. I have often found large fpecies of the fago 

 « tree on the fea-fliore, drifts from other countries. The fago, 

 " thus fleeped in the fait water, had always a four difagreeable 

 " fmell ; and in this flate, I dare fay the wild hogs would not 

 " tafte it. The leaf of the fago tree makes the beft covering 

 " for houfes of all the palm kind ; it will laft fevea years. 



C c 2 " Coverings 



195 



