12 HOURS WITH NATURE. 



dry apple, but with woody fibres running through it about 

 a quarter of an inch apart. This pith is cut or broken 

 down into coarse powder by means of a tool constructed 

 for the purpose* * * * . By successive blows of this 

 narrow strips of the pith are cut away and fall down into 

 the cylinder formed by the bark. Proceeding steadily on, 

 the whole trunk is cleared out, leaving a skin not more 

 than half an inch in thickness. This material is carried 

 away (in baskets made of the sheathing bases of the 

 leaves) to the nearest water, where a washing machine is 

 put up, which is composed almost entirely of the sago 

 tree itself. The large sheathing bases of the leaves form 

 the troughs, and the fibrous covering from the leaf 

 stocks of the young cocoanut, the strainer. Water is 

 poured on the mass of pith, which is kneaded and press* 

 ed against the strainer till the starch is all dissolved and 

 has passed through, when the fibrous refuse is throwd 

 away, and a fresh basketful put in its place. The water, 

 charged with sago starch) passes on to a trough with a 

 depression in the centre, where the sediment is deposit- 

 ed, the surplus water trickling off by a shallow outlet. 

 When the trough is nearly full, the mass of starch, 

 which has a slight reddish tinge, is made into cylinders 

 of about thirty pounds weight, and neatly covered with 

 leaves, and in this state is sold as raw sago," 



The Indian Sago Palm (Caryota urens), 

 which resembles the sago palm in appearance, and 

 is closely allied to it, is a native of the various 

 mountainous parts of India, including tropical Sikhim. 



