TIMBERS AND WOODS 297 



crop. It adapts itself readily to cultivation and makes an 

 excellent growth even on relatively poor soils. 



Several species of trees yield a soft wood of peculiar phys- 

 ical properties resembling cork. Chief among these trees is 

 kapok, Bombax malabarica, Alstonia scholaris, Erythrina 

 indica, and species of Anona, Hibiscus, and Dyera. Cork ob- 

 tained from the pith of so-called corkwood trees should be dis- 

 tinguished from true cork, as the term is ordinarily used, 

 which is derived from the bark of the cork oak {Quercus sib- 

 ber). This tree occurs in largest areas in Portugal, Spain, and 

 France. Various other tropical trees possess a bark which is 

 suitable for use as cork. The world's cork production amounts 

 to 2,500,000 pounds annually. Practically all of this material 

 comes from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Tunis, Algeria, 

 and Morocco. The commercial demand for cork is increasing. 



An immense and rapidly increasing industry is developing 

 in the utilization of vegetable ivory in manufacturing buttons. 

 In discussing tropical agriculture we may therefore refer to 

 the button crop as one of great importance. Vegetable ivory 

 is obtained from a considerable number of palms, particularly 

 the tagua palm {Phytelaphus macrocarpa) and about 20 other 

 species belonging to the same genus. In addition to this group 

 of tagua palms, a number of other species furnish a vegetable 

 ivory of considerable value. Among these species is Metroxy- 

 lon vitiense, a palm native to Fiji. The nuts from this tree 

 furnish a vegetable ivory which comes on the market under 

 the name Australian corozo. About 500,000 pounds of these 

 nuts go to Europe annually. The nuts of M. amicarum are 

 also used for the same purpose. Another palm, known as 

 Hyphatw, thebaica, yields Abyssinian corozo. This palm 

 abounds in Nubia, Abyssinia, and desert parts of Africa and 

 Asia Minor. It is sometimes called the king of the desert. The 

 tree bears nuts 2 inches long and i inch broad from which 

 good buttons are prepared, but the material is not so hard as 

 the nuts of the other species mentioned above. In addition to 



