COCO-NUT PRODUCTS 179 



in palm sugar in southern India, the coco-nut is not its 

 source. For personal use, many of the peoples of 

 Malaya and Polynesia prefer coco-nut sugar to cane 

 sugar because of its flavour, and in certain parts of 

 Java, especially in Bagalen and Kedoe, there is a 

 sufficient manufacture of it to amount to a local 

 industry of some importance. The same is true on the 

 west coast of Sumatra. For the manufacture of sugar, 

 it is necessary to inhibit the fermentation of the sap as 

 completely as possible. The commonest way of doing 

 this in Malaya and Ceylon is to put into the vessels 

 which collect the sap a little of some finely powdered 

 bark which is rich in tannin. The sugar which is 

 produced in this way is called "jaggery." From good 

 sap, -j^r the weight of jaggery can be produced. The 

 quality of the jaggery depends altogether upon the care 

 with which it is prepared. It can be refined and made 

 into a clean, white sugar, but this is rarely done, and 

 probably does not increase its commercial value. 



Arrack. — Arrack is the Malay name of strong liquor, 

 and has been taken up by Europeans for the liquor 

 distilled from palm saps. In the Philippines this name 

 is found in the form " alak," but the product is now 

 generally known by the Spanish word " vino " (" Bino "), 

 although strictly speaking it is a brandy rather than a 

 wine. The manufacture of arrack, whether as a local 

 industry or on a reasonably extensive scale, is wide- 

 spread in the East and in most places under strict 

 governmental supervision. In Ceylon the revenues reach 

 two million pesos a year. In the Philippines the direct 

 tax on the manufacture of coco-nut arrack in 1910 was 

 P6 9 8,823, and the business is increasing from year to 

 year. From taxes on the traffic in alcoholic liquors, 

 the government derives considerable additional revenue. 



The amount of yield of arrack and its value can best 

 be shown by reproducing G-ibbs's tables. 



[Table 



