40 THE GOMUTI PALM ITS USES. 



rice, sago is very rarely used as food except in times 

 of scarcity, from oppression, or other causes. The 

 whole of the sago exported from Borneo is in a rough 

 state, manufactories being established at Singapore 

 and Batavia for its preparation and refining. In its 

 rough state it is an ungainly -looking and ungrateful- 

 smelling substance, and one unacquainted with its 

 properties would be at a loss to conceive that the 

 pearl sago of the shops is prepared from it. The 

 manufacture of the medulla into sago is fully described 

 by Mr. Crawfurd and other writers. 



In general appearance the gomuti-palm (Arenga 

 saceharifera,) very much resembles the sago, but the 

 pinnae of the leaves, which are erect in the latter, droop 

 in the former like those of the nibong and many other 

 palms. It is valued by the Dyaks, as producing the 

 best toddy, and in the greatest abundance. It is ex- 

 tracted from the plant by cutting off the large lateral 

 bunches of fruit. When these are about half-grown, 

 they are severed close to the division of the peduncle 

 or stem, and bamboos being hung to them, a good tree 

 with two incisions will produce about a gallon daily 

 for two months ; a fresh surface being constantly kept 

 on the severed part by a thin slice being daily cut off 

 the stem or peduncle, so that at the end of the above- 

 named period it has altogether disappeared. The 

 toddy is taken from the bamboo twice a-day, and, 

 when fresh, has a very agreeable taste, and is a re- 

 freshing drink ; but the Dyaks always place a piece of 

 a bitter kind of bark in the bamboos which contain it, 

 and this communicates its flavour to the toddy. The 



