CONTENTS 



Page. 



Introduction 271 



Alleged introduction of the coconut palm by European colonists 273 



Early accounts of the coconut palm in America 275 



Peter Martyr's allusions to the coconut 275 



Oviedo's account of the coconut 278 



Report by Columbus of coconuts in Cuba 279 



Abundance of coconut palms in Porto Rico 283 



First account of the coconut in Brazil 284 



Early notices of the coconut palm in Colombia 286 



Economic status of the coconut in tropical America 288 



The palms of Cocos Island 291 



The coconut palm unable to maintain itself on seacoasts 296 



The coconut palm not tolerant of shade 298 



South American origin of the coconut palm 304 



Domestication of palms in ancient America 308 



Domestication of the peach palm in South America 308 



A fiber palm domesticated in Brazil 309 



Domestication of the pacaya palm in Guatemala 310 



Domestication of palmettos in Mexico 311 



Partially domesticated palms 311 



Oriein of the names coco and Cocos 314 



Other American names of the coconut 316 



Dissemination of the coconut palm by primitive man 317 



Origin of cultivated varieties of the coconut palm 320 



Adaptations of the coconut for germination 324 



Behavior of the coconut palm in interior localities 330 



Absence of coconut palms on the coast of Peru 334 



Possibilities of the coconut palm in the United States 335 



Summary of results 338 



Botanical conclusions 338 



Historical conclusions 339 



Ethnological conclusions 340 



Agricultural conclusions 341 



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