30 OENAJIENTAL FOLIAGE PLANTS. 



of the nut is often beautifiilly and tasteftilly carved on 

 the outside, and used for making' various usefiil and 

 fancy articles, suoli as spoons, wine-cups, tea-cups, tea- 

 pots, baskets, &a., &c. If the uses of this plant ended 

 here, it must be esteemed as highly useful, but one of 

 the principal products of the Cocoa Nut has not yet 

 been named. The dense mass of fibre surrounding the 

 nut is imported, to the extent of about 10,000 tons an- 

 nually, under the name of " Coir," and from it are manu- 

 factured mats of all kinds, floorcloth, cordage, cables, 

 brushes of every description, bags, hats, caps, bonnets, 

 and many other such things. 



The Palmyra or Eorassus flabelUformis is a large-grow- 

 ing Eastern Palm, of immense importance to the native 

 population ; indeed, it is said to form the chief support 

 of upwards of 6,000,000 human beings, and in a poem 

 descriptive of the value of this plant, 800 distinct pur- 

 poses are enumerated to which its products may be ap- 

 jflied. The fruits, which are prepared in a variety of 

 ways, form the principal food of the poorer natives. The 

 leaves are used for thatching and fencing ; they are like- 

 wise made into mats, baskets, hats, and umbrellas, and 

 when cut into long strips are used by the Hindoos for 

 writing upon ; wine or " toddy " of excellent quality is 

 also obtained from Borassus, which is largely drank as 

 a beverage. It is also boiled down into " jaggery " or 

 sugar, and in this latter state extensively imported into 

 this country. 



Another Palm, Garyota urens, which is distributed 

 throughout Malabar, Assam, Bengal, and has also re- 

 cently been found in Northern Australia, yields a large 

 quantity of sugar, and from its stem is obtained a nutri- 

 tious farina, resembling true sago, although much inferior 



