Vol. XI 



Published Monthly by The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. 

 JULY, 1901 



No. 7 



SAW PALMETTO. 



Something of a Great Honey Producer, 

 Which is Otherwise Valuable. 



BY W. S. HART. 



THE saw palmetto, sable serulatn, is 

 the most dense and plentiful 

 growth of any over large portions 

 of Florida and will grow abundantly and 

 to full development in apparently pun^ 

 sand, where scarcely anything else will 

 thrive. It is a tree the trunk of which 

 may lie under the surface of the ground, 

 directly upon it, or reaching up there- 

 from some ten or twelve feet. The true 

 roots put out from the under side of this 

 trunk wherever it is in contact with the 

 ground. They are the size of a pipe stem 

 and very strong and often penetrate to a 

 depth of fifteen or more feet on high 

 ground. The wood of the trunk is of a 

 peculiar formation, being composed of 

 strong, dark fibers, imbedded in a gran- 

 ular matrix exceedingly rich in tannic 

 acid and potash. Short sections of the 

 trunk with this matrix simply combed 

 out on one side for three-fourths of an 

 inch make very fine scrubbing brushes. 

 This tree is now attracting the attention 

 of capitalists as one of the cheapest and 

 best sources from which to obtain tannic 

 acid for the making of leather, and quite 

 a successful plant for this purpose has 

 already been established at Titusville, 

 this state. 



The leaf is pinnated and well adapted 

 to various commercial uses, such as the 



making of paper, an exceptionally clean 

 and springy filling for mattresses, the 

 making of hats; for decorative purposes 

 etc. A paper has been made from it of 

 finest quality and capable of holding oils 

 and other liquids. 



The leaf stalks put out from a fold of 

 vegetable cloth, as do those of many of 

 the palms, but this is finer and softer 

 than that nf most of the other species. 

 These stems are from a foot to five feet 

 long, according to the conditions under 

 which they grow, and are used by some 

 orange growers to strap orange boxes for 

 shipment. When properly cured they 

 are almost as tough as horn and a much 

 handsomer strap than any on the market, 

 while they also constitute a distinctive 

 mark of Florida fruit that is not likely 

 to be duplicated by any other state or 

 country. 



The bloom is composed of small, 

 cream-colored flowers on racenes from 

 one to three feet long and oftentimes a 

 foot or more wide, each carrying many 

 hundreds or even several thousands. As 

 a general thing these secrete honey quite 

 freely and also supply a liberal amount 

 of pollen, but once in every few years 

 they will fail to do this. The blooming 

 time is from the middle of April well 

 south in the State to June further north, 

 lasting some years even well into the 

 latter month. The honey is of a fine 

 light amber color, heavy in weight and 

 having a flavor that takes well and wears 

 well on the markets of the North. 



