THE r.VLMS OF ASIA. 139 



leaf is iu general use as thatoli. " The bran, or 

 refuse of the pith, called da, is used in feeding 

 hogs. When thrown into heaps it putrefies, and 

 an edible mushroom, of very delicate qualitj^, 

 grows on the heaps. In the same heaps, as well 

 as in the decayed wood, a worm of a white colour, 

 with a brown head, is generated, resembling a 

 palmer worm. The natives of the Sloluccas, 

 like the ancient Romans, who held certain 

 wood-worms dainties, consider them great delica- 

 cies ; and some Europeans, who have conquered 

 their first aversion, have entered into their tastes." 

 Of the fecundity of the sago palm we want 

 means to speak with precision. The mass of 

 nutritive matter afforded by this palm is cer- 

 tainly prodigious, and far exceeds that of all 

 other plants. Five hundred, or even six hun- 

 dred pounds, it appears, is not an unusual 

 produce for one tree. Allowing, however, for 

 the plants that perish, and for the unproductive 

 or barren ones, perhaps we shall not err greatly 

 if we take the average rate of produce at three 

 hundred pounds avoirdupois. Supposing the 

 trees, then, to be ten feet asunder, as is practised 

 with the other larger palms, an English acre 

 will contain 435 trees, and yield 120,500 

 pounds of raw meal, or above 8,000 pounds a 

 year. The best sago is the produce of Siak, on 



