OIL- YIELDING PLANTS. 147 



natives propagating it very easily from cuttings and allowing it to 

 creep upon stone walls and to climb over trees. (See Plates XXXV 

 and LXIII.) 



Toddy, or tuba, is a fermented drink made from the sap of the 

 coconut. Before the arrival of the Filipinos brought by the early 

 Spaniards to assist in the conquest of the islands the use of tuba was 

 unknown. Until the arrival of the Americans an inferior brandy was 

 distilled from fermented tuba, but its manufacture has been prohibited. 



Nearly every family on the island has its tobacco patch, each raising 

 barelv enough for its own consumption. The seeds are germinated in 

 nurseries and transplanted to spots near the plantations, where they 

 are kept shaded by canopies of muslin, and then are set out in fields, 

 each plant shaded by the segment of a coconut leaf. All hands assist 

 in its cultivation parents, children, and grandparents and it requires 

 constant attention and no little effort in fighting against weeds and 

 tobacco worms to make the crop a success. 



OIL- YIELDING PLANTS. The coconut is the principal source from 

 which the natives derive oil. Coconut oil is used for cooking, light- 

 ing, and anointing. In taking the place of lard fresh coconut oil 

 imparts an agreeable flavor to many articles of diet. Nearly every 

 house on the island has its patron saint enshrined in a niche or side 

 room, with a light of coconut oil burning before it. The oil is con- 

 tained in a goblet half filled with water, which keeps the glass cool. 

 The wick is supported on a float. Oil used for massaging the body 

 (a custom which Guam shares with many Pacific islands) and for 

 anointing the hair is often perfumed with flowers of various kinds 

 (p. 210). Dried coconut meat, or " copra," is exported from the island. 

 Most of it is used for oil which enters into the manufacture of candles 

 and soaps, and is an ingredient of a number of medicines. Among 

 other oil yielding plants are the castor bean (Ricmus communis), the 

 physic nut (Jatropha curcas), and the the candle nut (Aleurites moluc- 

 cana), which has been sparingly introduced. These plants are all 

 members of the Euphorbia family. Their nuts and oil are drastic 

 purgatives if taken in quantity, and are poisonous if taken in too great 

 doses. The candle nut, called "kukui" in Hawaii and "lama" in 

 Samoa, derives its name from the custom of the ancient Polynesians 

 of stringing the roasted kernels on the rib of a coconut leaflet, the 

 tip of which is set on fire and burns like a candle, the flame consuming 

 the oily kernels as it descends. At all luaus, or native feasts, in the 

 Hawaiian Islands, chopped kukui kernels mixed with seaweed form 

 an indispensable dish, which takes the place of a relish. In many 

 tropical countries illuminating and lubricating oils are made from the 

 castor bean and the physic nut, and both of these oils are important 

 medicines. 



An oil like that derived from the almond may be obtained from the 

 nuts of Terminalla catappa. The seeds of Morinya morinya are the 



