THE COCOA-NUT TREE. 



129 



to drop its fruits into the tidal wave. Wafted by the winds 



and currents over the sea, the nuts float along without losing 



their germinating power, like other seeds which migrate through 



the air; and thus, during the lapse of centuries, the cocoa-palm 



]ia.s spread its wide domain 



from coast to coast throughout 



tlie whole extent of the tropical 



zone. It waves its graceful 



fronds over the emerald islands 



of the Pacific, fringes the 



West Indian shores, and from 



tlie Philippines to Madagascar 



crowns the atolls, or girds 



tlie sea-borde of the Indian 



( )cean. 



But nowhere is it met with 

 ill such abundance as on the 

 coasts of Ceylon, where for 

 miles and miles one continuous 

 fi^rove of palms, preeminent for 

 ] )eauty, encircles the " Eden of 

 the eastern wave." Multiplied 



l)y plantations and fostered with assiduous care, the total number 

 in the island cannot be less than twenty millions of full-grown 

 trees; and such is its luxuriance in those favoured districts, 

 wliere it meets with a rare combination of every advantage 

 ' ssential to its growth, a sandy and pervious soil, a free and 

 genial air, unobstructed solar heat, and abundance of water, 

 that, when in full bearing, it will annually yield as much as a 

 ton's weight of nuts — an example of fruitful ness almost un- 

 rivalled even in the torrid zone. 



No other tree in the world, no other plant cultivated by 

 man, contributes in so many ways to his wants and comforts 

 as this inestimable palm ; and it is a curious illustration of its 

 innumerable uses, that some years ago a ship from the Maldive 

 Islands touched at Gralle, which was entirely built, rigged, pro- 

 visioned, and laden with the produce of the cocoa-tree. Be- 

 sides furnishing their chief food to many tribes on the coast 

 within the torrid zone, the nut contains a valuable oil, which 

 l)urns without smoke or smell, and serves, when fresh, for culinary 



K 



Cocoa-nut Tree. 



