PLANTS. 351 



cocoa-nut, about the size of an infant's head, the outside 

 rind of which consists of a fibrous covering, and a few 

 coarse leaves resembling the bark of undressed hemp. 

 Under this rough envelope the . nut is found, large and 

 obtusely triangular, brown and hard. A considerable 

 quantity of milk, sweet, and tasting like almonds, may 

 be obtained by boring into the shell, the inside of which 

 is lined with a hard but oily flesh, rich and nut-like ; the 

 shell must be broken or sawed asunder in order to get at 

 the pulp. Even the expanding sheaths are made sub- 

 servient to useful purposes, for when cut into or wounded 

 the sap flows freely, is very sweet, and after undergoing 

 a certain process of fermentation, converted into palm 

 wine, which is considered a ve.ry superior liquor. The 

 shell of the nut is used by turners for ornamental work. 

 The small branches of the cocoa nut palm, emblematic of 

 peace and friendship, are planted on festival days in front 

 of houses. The wood is very fibrous, and therefore not 

 fit for building purposes. Found everywhere within the 

 tropical regions, although its true home is in the East 

 Indies. '?. To this genus succeeds that of 



The Yam (Dioscorea alata), which is a handsome, 

 herbaceous plant, cultivated everywhere within the tro- 

 pics; stems twining from large tuberous roots; leaves 

 alternate, ovate, arrow-shaped ; flowers small and yel- 

 lowish, form thick clusters a span long, the sterile in 

 drooping panicles, the fertile in drooping, simple racemes, 

 and the whole growth of the plant is so luxuriant, as of 

 itself to form an arbor. The most important part, how- 

 ever, are the tuberous roots, which, in one year are 

 larger than the largest-sized apple ; left in the earth for 

 a longer time, they still continue to grow ; contain a 

 great deal of starch, and very mealy, taste like the best 



