138 



COMMEBCIAL BOTANY. 



CoooAUUT (Cocos micifera). 



Amongst vege- 

 table fibres used 

 for brush and 

 broom -making, 

 several very im- 

 portant introduc- 

 tions have been 

 made, foremost of 

 which, of course, 

 is the fibrous husk 

 of the Cocosr-nut 

 (Cocos nucifera). 

 This fibre, now so 

 generally known 

 by the name of 

 Coir, has become 

 within the last 

 twenty or thii-ty 

 years a most im- 

 portant article of 

 import. Its in- 

 troduction may be 

 said to date from 

 about the year 

 1836, when a shop 

 for the sale of 

 articles made of 

 Coir was opened 

 in Agar Street, 

 Strand. In 1839 

 a partner in this 

 business took out 

 a patent for the 

 manufacture of 

 various fabrics 



