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Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



formed palms, as well as the tree-formed, furnish the sago, which comes 

 from the isles of the East Indian Archipelago. The interior of the plant 

 is filled with pith, cellular tissue. The vegetable nutriment is provided 

 for the maturing of the fruit; for as soon as the fruit begins to form, the 

 store of fecula disappears, leaving quite a hollow stem. This fecula is 

 formed into round, transparent, bead-like grains by an artificial process, 

 and comes into commerce as pearl sago, granulated sago, and brown sago. 



The cocoanut tree (Cocos nuciferd) is found as far north as Jupiter 

 Inlet, near north latitude 27°, and I have collected the nuts at Key Bis- 

 cayne, Florida, in north latitude 26°. It is maritime in its habitat. The 

 trunk is from 50 to 80 feet in height, and generally slightly inclined ; 

 the pinnate leaves from 10 to 15 feet in length. There are from 10 to 12 

 nuts in a bunch, which grow close to the crown of the tree, just under- 

 neath the leaves. There are from 8 to 12 bunches produced on a single 

 tree, and the nuts are ripening every month in the year. Those nuts 

 nearest the tree ripen first and drop off. The nut is inclosed in a long, 

 boat-shaped, three-sided husk, which has a smooth, yellow exterior. 

 Often the ripened nuts fall into the sea, and float away to distant shores. 

 If, while floating, the nut commences to germinate, the plumule pushes its 

 way to the far end of coir fibre; it makes its side of the nut heavier, so 

 that the shoot floats under water, where, being shaded and cool, the pro- 

 cess of germination is retarded until the nut may chance to be cast 

 ashore, where it can vegetate and become a magnificent tree, furnishing 

 food and shelter. 



The white, solid cone at the apex, when cut transversely into thin slices, 

 is so much like "cold slaw," that few persons would perceive any differ- 

 ence either in appearance or taste. 



When our ships visit the southern isles of the Pacific, the little Indian 

 children, of three years of age only, impelled by a spirit of curiosity and 

 adventure, swim off to the ships, buoyed up with one hand supported on 

 an uuhusked cocoanut. 



The cocoanut may have furnished the means to discover America by 

 emigration from the Polynesian Islands. The bread fruit and the cocoa- 

 nut furnish food that would keep for a voyage. It is well canned by 

 Nature, and the calabash furnishes a natural cask to preserve a supply 

 of fresh water. Thus equipped for a voyage, the South Sea Islanders may 

 have anticipated Columbus, and Aztecs and Mound Builders owe their ap- 

 pearance in America to the assistance furnished them by the cocoanut 

 palm. 



In the cocoanut tree, the flowers come out in clusters round the summit 



