growing in the greatest luxuriance upon 

 sandy or rocky sea-shores, and evidently 

 preferring the vicinity of the sea, although 



| it sometimes occurs a considerable dis- 

 tance inland. It is also common in Africa, 

 America, and the West Indies. Its exten- 

 sive geographical distribution is accounted 

 for by the fact of the tree growing in such 

 close proximity to the sea, that the ripe 

 fruits, falling on the beach, are washed away 

 by the waves, and afterwards cast upon 

 some far-distant shores, where they readily 

 vegetate. It is in this way that the coral 

 islands of the Indian Ocean have become 

 covered with these palms. It is also 

 worthy of remark, that the triangular form 

 of the fruit facilitates its progress through 

 the waves. 



The Cocoa-nut Palm has a cylindrical 

 trunk, sometimes as much as two feet in 

 diameter, and rising to the height of sixty 

 or one hundred feet, its outside being 

 marked with scars, indicating the places 

 from which leaves have fallen away. It is 

 surmounted by a crown of gracefully 

 curved feathery or pinnate leaves, each of 

 which is from eighteen to twenty feet in 

 length, and composed of a strong tough 

 central footstalk, with numerous narrow 

 long and sharp-pointed leaflets arranged 

 along both sides of it, givingthe entire leaf 



| the appearance of a gigantic feather; the 

 base of the stalk spreads out so as to clasp 

 the stem, and is surrounded by a kind of 

 fibrous network of a light-brown colour. 

 The flowers are arranged on branching 

 spikes five or six feet long, and enclosed in a 

 strong tough pointed sheath (spathe), which 

 splits open on the under side, displaying 

 the delicately white but inconspicuous 

 flowers. They are succeeded by bunches 

 containing from twelve to twenty fruits, 

 each of which is about a foot long by six 

 or eight inches wide, of a three-sided form, 

 and covered by a thick fibrous rind or 

 husk, enclosing a single seed contained in 

 a hard shell, which is what is commonly ■ 

 called the Cocoa-nut in this country. 



The uses of this palm are so numerous 

 that space will only allow us to give a 

 brief outline of them. In this country we 

 know comparatively little of its value. It is 

 true that we are indebted to it for several 

 very useful articles, such as cocoa-nut fibre, 

 cocoa-nut oil, and the cocoa-nuts them- 

 selves ; but they are all articles that we 

 might contrive to do without. In tropical 

 countries, however, such as Southern India 

 and the adjacent islands, the case is very 

 different ; there the Cocoa-nut Palm fur- 

 nishes the chief necessaries of life, and its 

 culture and the preparation of its various 

 products afford employment to a large 

 part of the population. Every part of the 

 tree is put to some useful purpose. The 

 outside rind or husk of the fruit yields the 

 fibre from which the well-known cocoa-nut 

 matting is manufactured. In order to ob- 

 tain it the husks are soaked in salt water 

 for six or twelve months, when the fibre is 

 easily separated by beating, and is made 

 up into a coarse kind of yarn called coir. 

 In 1358 we imported 81,138cwts. of this fibre. 



' Besides its use for matting, it is extensively 

 ' employed in the manufacture of cordage, 

 being greatly valued for ships' cables, and 

 although these cables are rough to handle 

 and not so neat-looking as those made of 

 hemp, their greater elasticity renders them 

 superior for some purposes. Other articles 

 i of minor importance are now made of this 

 j fibre, such as clothes- and other brushes, 

 brooms, hats, &c. ; and when curled and 

 | dyed it is used for stuffing cushions, mat- 

 j tresses, &c, as a substitute for horse-hair. 

 The next important product of the fruit 

 is the oil procured by boiling and pressing 

 I the white kernel of the nut (albumen). It 

 is liquid at the ordinary temperature in 

 tropical countries, and while fresh is used 

 in cookery ; but in this country it is semi- 

 solid, and has generally a somewhat rancid 

 smell and taste. By pressure it is separated 

 into two parts --one, called stearine, is 

 solid, and is used in the manufacture of 

 stearine candles ; the other, being liquid, is 

 burned in lamps. As an article of food the 

 kernel is of great importance to the in- 

 habitants of the tropics. In the Lacca- 

 dives it forms the chief food, each person 

 consuming four nuts per day, and the fluid, 

 commonly called milk, which it contains, 

 affords them an agreeable beverage. While 

 young they yield a delicious substance re- 

 sembling blanc-mange. The hard shells of 

 the nut are made into spoons, drinking 

 cups, lamps, &c. ; reduced to charcoal and 

 pulverised they afford an excellent tooth- 

 powder, and very good lamp-black is made 

 from them. 



Amongst other products of this palm 

 may be mentioned ' toddy,' which is ob- 

 tained by the same process as that des- 

 cribed under Borassus flabtlliformis. When 

 fermented it is intoxicating, and strong 

 arrack is distilled from it, besides which it 

 yields vinegar and 'jaggery ' or sugar. 



The leaves are greatly used for thatching 

 houses, for platting into mats, baskets, 

 hats, and similar articles ; and from strips 

 of the hard footstalk very neat combs for 

 the hair are made. The unexpanded leaves 

 cut out of the heart of the tree are used in 

 the same way that we use cabbages. The 

 brown fibrous network from the base of 

 the leaves is substituted for sieves, and also 

 made into fishermen's garments. And the 

 extremely hard wood obtained from the 

 outer portion of the trunk is used in the 

 construction of both houses and their fur- 

 niture. In this country, under the name of 

 Porcupine wood, it is made into work- 

 boxes, and other fancy articles. Finally, 

 we may mention that the natives attribute 

 various medicinal qualities to this palm. 

 The flowers they employ as an astringent, 

 the roots as a febrifuge, the milk in op- 

 thalmia, &c. 



Few of the other species of this genus 

 present particular features of interest. C. 

 butyracea, a native of New Grenada, yields 

 toddy, but the manner of extracting it is 

 very different to the process employed in 

 Eastern countries. The tree is cut down, 

 and a long cavity excavated in its trunk 

 near the top ; in three days' time this cavity 



