747 



the staves are dowelled with bamboo pegs and " flagged " or 

 packed with plantain fibre (Cox, Indian Forester, xlvi. 1920, 



p. 65). 



*' Cocoa-nut butter *Ms an edible fat prepared from the 



kernel (copra) of the nut and refined oil or sohd fat is very largely 



used in the ' preparations of margarine and other foodstuffs. 



The cake ('' Poonac " in Ceylon) is an important cattle food 



[see Kew Bull. 1890, "Cocoa-nut Butter," pp. 230-238; Journ. 



Bd. Agric. June 1901, "Cocoa-nut Butter," pp. 101-102; Feb. 



1915, " Cocoa-nut Cake," pp. 1025-1032 (and in Special Leaflet 



No. 20, 1917); May 1916, " Feeding Cocoa-nut Cake on Grass," 



pp. 117-123]. Desiccated cocoa-nut and coir-fibre from the 



husk of the nut are important articles of trade, the former used 



for confectionery and culinary purposes and the latter for the 



manufacture of mats, bags, brushes, ropes and cordage. The 



fibre dust ia used largely in Europe for horticultural purposes; 



and it is of some value as a fertihser. Coir fibre from Lagos was 



sent by the Colonial Office to Kew early in 1889 ; it was submitted 



to brokers in London, who reported on the samples — ** These 



contain soft half -prepared bristle fibre, used in the manufacture 



of brushes mixed with short or mat fibre : we value the bristle 



portion at £15 and the mat portion at £9-£10 per ton." " This 



fibre would find a ready sale here both for brush and mat making 



purposes : but the two sorts should be kept separate " (Kew 



Bull. 1889, pp. 129-132). The oil in addition to the use mentioned 



above is also of importance in soap and candle manufacture 



and as an illuminant in many countries of production where to 



the native the palm is invaluable, the various parts each finding 



some use — food and drink in the nut, leaves for thatching, 



trunk for building, sap—" toddy " (India) or '' tuba " (Pliihp- 



pines) from the inflorescence {see also under Borassus) and in 



general supplying a variety of domestic wants. In both India 



and the Philippines the extraction of sap for the distillation of 



si)irit or "arrack" is of some importance (Kew Bull, 1912, 



p. 124). It will be obvious, however, that the palm cannot be 



grown for copra, coir and the production of spirit at the same 



time. 



The cifltivation, although requiring some skill and experience, 



is comparatively easy. The palm is propagated by means of 

 the whole nut or fruit. It is recommended that the nuts for 

 planting be carefully selected form vigorous trees well known 

 to produce a free supply of nuts with a high percentage of kernel 

 for oil or of husk for coir fibre. 



" The selection of coco-nuts for planting " has been discussed 

 in the Kew Bulletin (1915, pp. 72-76) and it is at present open 

 to question whether nuts from young trees may be used or that 

 plants should only be raised from fully matured trees; but the 

 experience so far gained on plantations in the West Indies seems 

 to be in favour of either. Ceylon nuts are larger and stated 

 to jaeld twice as much copra as the Seychelles nuts but the 



