938 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL MLST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXL 



from which spring the leaves and the racemes. These latter are 

 supported during this operation, by being tied up by several 

 thongs to the footstalks of the uncut leaves. The pruning having 

 been completed, all or most of the spathes are effectually enconi- 

 ]3assed from end to end by thongs, to prevent the membrane which 

 covers the inflorescence from bursting. The racemes thus tied are 

 then beaten and crushed between the wooden battens to wound 

 them, and to hurry on the flow of toddy. This done and the 

 spathes being secured to stalks of the remaining leaves, the toddy- 

 drawer descends. The operation of beating and crushing takes 

 place for 3 successive mornings, and on each of the 4 following a 

 thin slice is cut from the points of the racemes, to encourage the 

 flow of sap and keep them from bursting. On the eighth morning 

 a clear sweet liquor begins to flow from the wounded spadix, which 

 is indicated by the ' Toddy Birds " and crows fighting and chatter- 

 ing amongst the trees. The toddy-drawer then ascends with a 

 chatty or todd5'-receiver stuck to his belt behind. He places the 

 ends of the spadix in these, and when secured leaves them till 

 evening, when they are found to contain quantities of this liquor. 

 The operation of attracting the juice is repeated every morning 

 and evening, or in the mornings only, until the whole of the 

 spadix is sliced away. 



The trees are drained in this way for several months of the year, 

 but if the operation is repeated on the same tree for 3 successive 

 years, without allowing any of the buds to burst naturally, the 

 trees are said to die. A spadix continues to give toddy for about 

 5 months, at the rate of 3 or 4 quarts a day, and while seldom 

 three spadices are yielding toddj^ on the Cocoanut tree, seven or 

 eight will yield juice at once on the Palmyra Palm. An expert 

 climber can draw the toddy from about 40 trees in a few 

 hours. 



In Jafina a distinction is made between ' toddy ' and ' sweet 

 toddy '. The former, called by the Tamils Culloo, is the juice 

 when it is allowed to ferment, which it does in a few hours after 

 sunrise. Sweet toddy, called Carupaner, is obtained by sprink- 

 ling the inside of the toddy-receiver with lime or chunam, which 

 keeps it from fermenting. 



