3o6 



STUDIES IN SEEDS AND FRUITS 



Though these tables largely explain themselves, a few 

 explanatory remarks are necessary. The data in Table I 

 were obtained from individual fruits, excepting those in column 

 D, those fruits being selected which came from the same palm 

 and gave results similar to those supplied by others in the 

 same stage. In Table II the percentages shown in Table I 

 are applied to a green, full-sized fruit of average weight. It 

 is important to notice that whilst the first table is in grains, 

 the second is in grammes. All the observations were made 

 during the winter 1907-8 in Jamaica. 



The contents of column D call for special remark. They 

 represent the results of different experiments on the ordinary 

 drying in air of the separate husk, shell, and kernel, applied 

 to the fruit in the stage at which they reach their greatest 

 development. Since the husk attains it in the green unripe 

 fruit of full size, the drying experiment was made on the 

 husk at this stage. In the same way and for the same reason 

 the shell and kernel of the ripe fruit were subjected to the 

 drying test. The following results were obtained : — 



Loss of weight when dried in air of husk of green coco-nut, 



80 per cent. 

 Loss of weight when dried in air of shell of ripe coco-nut, 



7 per cent. 

 Loss of weight when dried in air of kernel of ripe coco-nut, 



40 per cent. 



To produce the completely air-dried coco-nut these losses 

 had to be applied to the husk of the green fruit in column A, 

 and to the shell and kernel of the ripe fruit in column C. 

 The fruit typified in column D is therefore a coco-nut that 

 has given up all its water to the air, or rather all the water 

 that the air can absorb, the fruit retaining only what it would 

 hold independent of its vitality. This completely air-dried 

 fruit represents, accordingly, rather the result of a laboratory 

 experiment than a process of nature, since, as previously 

 remarked, we should only expect to find a coco-nut in this 

 state under exceptional conditions. Such a fruit would most 



