53 

 Toddy serves extensively as yeast to the baKer-s ; large quan- 

 tities of It are also converted Into vlnega^, used for pickling 

 limes and other substances ; but by far the largest quantity 

 is boiled down for jaggery or sugar. 



The usual process of making jaggery is to boil the unfer- 

 mented toddy until it becomes a thick syrup, A small quantity 

 of scraped cocoanut kernel Is thrown in that it may be ascer- 

 tained by the feel if the syrup has reached t?ie proper consis- 

 tency, and then it is poured into small baskets of palmyra 

 leaf, where it cools and hardens into jaggery. To make vellum 



« 



or crystallized jaggery, which is extensively used as a medi- 

 cine, the process is nearly the same as for the common sugar, 

 only the syrup is not boiled for so long a period. 



The pot which contains it is covered and put aside for 

 some months, at the end of which period the crystals are form- 

 ed in abundance. Amongst a variety of purposes to which it 

 is put. Is that of being mixed with the white of eggs, and 

 with lime from burnt coral or shells. The rr^sult is a tena- 

 cious mortar, capable of receiving so beautiful a polish, that 

 It can v;ith difficLilty be distinguished from the finest white 



marble . 



in 



In the Madras Presidency of India and Ceylon a large 



quantity of sugar and jaggery is made from the sap. In Ben- 

 gal, however, the juice of the date palm, which is so raucl: 

 more abundant in saccharine matter, is preferred for the manu- 

 facture of sugar ; though it is not apparent why in parts of 

 the country where the palmyra palm abounds and the people do 



