378 The Philippine Journal of Science wu 



been carried on. These results were eminently satisfactory, 

 and lead directly to further study on a more extensive scale. 

 Many other palms, such as the coconut, buri, and sugar palms, 

 elaborate a sweet juice containing sucrose, and have been sug- 

 gested as possible commercial sources of refined sugar. The 

 nipa offers many distinct advantages not found with other 

 palms. It is already extensively grown in localities that other- 

 wise would remain waste land, but which offer cheap water 

 transportation for juice from swamp to mill. The collection 

 of sap is greatly facilitated by the nature of the palm, since it 

 produces the flower stalk close to the surface of the ground 

 and within easy reach. With other palms, such as the coconut 

 and buri, the sap is gathered at a considerable elevation from 

 the ground that necessitates climbing and increases the cost of 

 collection. 



The method utilized for many years in collecting the sugar- 

 bearing nipa sap, or tuba as it is generally called, is to cut off 

 the recently formed fruit at its point of attachment to the stalk. 

 The sap flows freely from the freshly cut surface of the stalk, 

 and is collected in bamboo joints called tuquils or bombones. 

 These vary in size and shape, depending upon the customs of 

 the natives working in variously located swamps. In the large 

 areas of Bulacan Province, the tuquils are about 50 centimeters 

 long, with a diameter of 10 centimeters and a capacity of from 

 1 to 2 liters, while those employed in other districts often exceed 

 a meter in length and are capable of holding several liters of 

 tuba. The receptacle has a small hole in the side wall near the 

 upper extremity through which the stalk of the palm is intro- 

 duced, serving to support the bombon and allow the sap to drop 

 into the interior. The tuberos — men employed in gathering the 

 sap — visit the palms twice a day, and cut off a thin slice from 

 the end of the flower stalk to keep the wound fresh and prevent 

 stoppage in the flow of sap. 



It has been shown 3 that a stalk normally flows for about 

 three months, during which time it produces from 30 to 50 liters 

 of sap, the greater portion of which is secreted during the first 

 two months after tapping. The yield of sap may be partially 

 equalized by progressive tapping of new palms, but much depends 

 upon the season. 



The number of palms per hectare varies within wide limits, 

 as might be expected, since many swamps have been used for 

 years and have received at least a moderate amount of attention, 



• Gibbs, l«c. cit. 



