( 220 ) 



SECTION II. 



THE USEFUL PALMS, AND THEIR ECONOMIC 

 PRODUCTS. 



The number of known species of palms is over one thousand. 

 Althougli chiefly natives of tropical regions, we may learn from 

 Von Martius's great work that there are many extra-tropical members 

 of this princely order which were known to him in 1850, when that 

 masterly work was concluded. Several of the latter furnish useful 

 products to commerce, such as the dwarf palm (Chamcerojps humilis). 



There is scarcely any family of trees that are more generally 

 useful in tropical regions than the palm tribe. Many a single 

 member of this family has numerous special and important economic 

 uses, renderiug it invaluable to the natives. Some palins are very 

 widely diffused over the globe, others are at present restricted to 

 certain countries, but there is no reason to doubt that by a little 

 careful management several of the most useful could be introduced, 

 and acclimatized in other quarters. Numerous races depend almost 

 entirely upon the palms for many important products ; wood and 

 leaves for habitations, bark and leaves for fabrics and cordage, buds 

 and fruit for food, and sap for sugar and spirit. With the view of 

 diffusing practical information concerning their growth and useful 

 products, I give such information concerning the principal palms as 

 I have been able to collect. 



The Cocoanut Palm (Cocos nueifera) is one of the most useful trees 

 of tropical regions ; all its parts are utilized, but its fruit is the most 

 important product. In preparing plantations, the nuts for sprouting 

 should be chosen from those fully ripe, having full, large eyes, and 

 such as have been gathered from trees past the middle age — not, 

 however, from aged ones — and from clusters containing few fruits. 

 These, if carefully planted, are said to ensure the timely sprouting 

 and steady growth of the plant as well as future luxuriance, longevity, 

 and unintermitting fruitfulness. Such nuts as are gathered from 

 February to May are generally the richest in oleaginous properties, 

 and hence should be preferred. Nuts taken from older trees have 

 the eyes small, and the sprout will in consequence be thin, weak, 

 and disproportionately long; and the future tree, if able to bear 

 fruit, irregular and deficient in produce. Those nuts which may be 

 taken from trees of immature age will, if planted, rot away at the eye ; 



