THE COCOA NUT. 69 



coir husk, too, assists in this economy of nature : as the ex- 

 posure to moisture and the heat of the sun are conducive to 

 vegetation, and as the salt-water would destroy the young 

 plant if its tender shoot should be pushed out into the sea, 

 a curious arrangement takes place ; as soon as the shoot and 

 root push out from the foramen, they take a direction towards 

 the other end of the nut through the mass of coir fibre — this 

 gives an increased weight to that side of the nut which acts 

 as ballast, keeping it downwards and under water. The 

 coolness to which the shoot is thus exposed assists in keep- 

 ing the vegetative power in check; but no sooner has it 

 landed upon some congenial soil than it throws out its strong 

 roots, and soon renders a barren island fertile and verdant. 

 The quantity of nuts produced by one palm is immense : 

 at least from twenty to twenty-five are borne monthly, and 

 as the nut is very nutritious, their utility is very great in 

 tropical climates, where field labour would be intolerable. 

 Besides the nut, coir-fibre, and cocoa-nut oil, the cocoa- 

 palm produces Toddy, or Palm-wine, which, though made 

 from various palms, is chiefly made from the cocoa-palm. It 

 is usually asserted that toddy is procured by cutting out the 

 cabbage or the young leaves constituting the heart of the 

 palm-tree, when, from the wound thus made, the sap flows, 



