36 

 flavor, and is less unwholfisOTne than vrViF.n it jiardens. 



The cocoanut is a super ioj- fruit, result inf^: from the ovary 

 alone, two of the three cells of which are clear I3/ obliterated, 

 01-, rather, rudimentary from their origin, so that the fruit 

 is one-celled, and one seeded : the triangular form of the 

 fruit still indicates its t ri carp ell ar'y character. A trans- 

 verse section through the entire fru.it shows a thick outer 

 layer of th? pericarp, fitirous in texture and a thin bony 

 inner layer (the shell). The cavity of this inner layer 

 (endocarp) is occupied by the seed. The sedd is hollow, con- 

 sisting of a uniform layei- of solid albumen closely applied 

 over the inner surface of the endocarp, with a portion (the 

 milk) unconsolidated in the cavity, and a minute embryo occu- 

 pies a little cell in the albumen at the base of the nut. 



Culture 



The nuts are bui'ied in nursery rows, and the young trees 

 are transplanted, A more common practice is to remoAre the 

 burled nuts, when they begin to sprout, to the place in which 

 the tree is to stand, A nut is then placed in a hole some 

 two feet deep, which is gradually filled in as the plant grovyrs. 

 In from six to eight years the tree begins to bear. 



The cocoanut palm is one of the most useful trees of 

 tropical regions ; all its parts are utilized, but its fruit 

 is the moat important product. In preparing plantations, the 

 nuts for sprouting should be chosen from those thoroughly 

 ripe, having full, large eyes, and such as have been gathered 



