528 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS 



conditions. It appears to be suited to different elevations, in 

 moist districts, up to at least 2,000 feet. 



Sago Palm. The sago of commerce is obtained chiefly from 

 the stems of Metraxylon Sagn, a pinnate-leaved palm, 30 to 40 ft. 

 high, with a short cylindrical and usually recumbent or creeping 

 trunk. The palm is indigenous to the Malaya Archipelago, where 

 it is commonly cultivated or conserved for the sake of the sago. 

 It is found chiefly in damp, flat or swampy situations, and thrives 



1. ASSAM OR ORDINARY TEA. 



2. PARAGUAY TEA. 



best in cultivation when these conditions are imitated. The life of 

 the individual palm extends to fifteen or twenty years, the tree 

 flowering at that age and then dying ; younger palms arising from 

 suckers and in various stages of development are, however, 

 produced around it. In a properly managed sago swamp, the 

 palms should be allowed to stand at suitable distances apart, and all 

 unnecessary suckers and stems removed. In this way the ground 

 should be continuously productive without much, if any, replanting. 

 The seeds, which are seldom fertile, are said to occupy two or 



