Demand" for Coco-nut Products 353 



dustries being discovered besides the five just 

 mentioned, and certainly no one will deny that 

 with the scientist on the field, the plantation 

 coco-nut industry may yet discover other im- 

 portant lines for earning increased dividends. 

 Mr. William S. Lyon, when in charge of the 

 division of Plant Industry in connection with 

 the Philippines; included the following items 

 in his now well-known Bulletin, No. 8, on 

 "The Coco-nut." The husks are exceedingly 

 rich in potash and phosphoric acid, so their 

 value as manure is considerable, although 

 where possible to turn them into fibre the value 

 of the husks is wasted if used as manure ; 

 the leaves and midribs, when burned, furnish 

 an ash so rich in potash that it may be used 

 alone in water as a substitute for soap, or when 

 a powerful detergent is required. Fibres are 

 not only confined to the husks ; from the tough 

 midrib of the leaf, strong baskets are made, 

 also excellent and durable brooms, whilst pot- 

 cleaning brushes can be obtained from the part 

 where the midrib coalesces with the petiole. 

 The "milk" again, at present we believe en- 

 tirely wasted, could, when obtainable in large 

 quantities, be utilized for making vinegar, if 

 not for making a fermented beverage, as in 

 the manufacture of wines, spirits, &c. All 

 this is still in the experimental or home 

 industrial stage, where comparatively small 

 quantities only are used, but when it comes 

 to a matter of two or three million nuts being 



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