134 THE PALMS OF ASIA. 



last aiTord llie best farina, the second a hard 

 medulla, and tlie third, uhich has a compara- 

 tively slender trunk, an inferior quantity. 



The sago, like other palms, is iiropagated 

 from the seed or fruit, which is of inconstant 

 shape and size, from that of a prune to that of 

 a pigeon's, or even of a pullet's egg. The true 

 native country of the sago palm appears to be 

 that portion of the Archipelago in which the 

 easterly monsoon is boisterous. This geogra- 

 phical range embraces the eastern portion of 

 Celebes and Borneo, to the north the island 

 of Mindanao, to the south Timor, and to the 

 east New Guinea. It is most abundant in 

 the islands chiefly distinguished for the clove 

 and nutmeg, and its geographical distribution 

 seems co-extensive Avith that of these spices. 

 The great island of Ceram is, of all others, 

 the most distinguished for the production 

 of the sago palm. Here it is found in im- 

 mense forests in its wild state. If this palm 

 be an indigenous product of the western coun- 

 tries of the Archipelago, as sometimes insisted 

 on, it is a rare one, and the pith is seldom 

 extracted or used as broad. 



Of all the plants which supply nutritious 

 farina for human aliment, the sago palm 

 allbrds at once the most obvious, easy, and 



