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taining many seeds which are surrounded by an acrid pulp. 
These are sun-dried and made into a thick decoction, which is 
highly esteemed by the natives. The pods remain on the tree 
until almost decomposed, when the contents fall to the ground 
in a state of germination. 
The cohune palm (Aétalea Cohune) is frequently met with in 
the forest or inthe open fields, and is utilized by the natives for 
building houses, or a single leaf is sometimes used as a sail. 
The fruit is produced in large bunches and is about the size of a 
hen’s egg. The kernel has a flavor much like that of the cocoa- 
nut, but is more oily. The trunk of this palm contains a large 
supply of a watery fluid, which is obtained by cutting the palm 
down and making a hole near the top, and by raising the basal end 
the liquor flows into the cavity, and is readily obtained with the 
aid of a small vessel, thus supplying a cooling drink. 
Rubber (Casti/loa elastica) thrives well in the forest, and its 
cultivation has lately been taken up to some extent. The young 
plants are obtained in the forest and planted in the shade of 
bananas on many of the estates. At first they thrive well 
beneath the shade, but in two or three years they have outgrown 
the banana plants and become directly exposed to the sun, when 
the trees begin to appear sickly and do not yield as much latex 
as those growing naturally in the forests, where they get both 
shade and moisture. Much comment is now being made on the 
discovery of a rubber yielding vine, said to be found in the valleys 
of the Pijo Mountains. The plant is said to attain a length of 
one hundred feet, with a trunk at least eight inches in diameter. 
Several other trees deserve mention, two of which are highly 
esteemed for their fruit, the ‘‘Sapote”’ (Zacuma sp.) and “ Anona 
del Monte” (Azoua sp.). 
The former is frequently met with on the borders of the forest 
or in many of the plantations. The fruit is egg-shaped, with a 
russet rind in¢losing a rich, almost salmon-colored pulp, in which 
are imbedded from one to three large seeds. The latter is a large 
tree forty feet high and produces a fruit about the size of an 
orange with a hard rind which when cut has a strong odor of 
turpentine, and a pulp similar to that of the well-known ‘“ Sour 
op” (Axona muricata), common in tropical regions. 
