274 



THE SAGO PALM. 



the first waves advance rapidly and carry away much of the sago, but 

 those that succeed deposit the greater part of their more solid con- 

 tents, transporting into the tub only the lighter fibrous particles which 

 it is the object of this operation to separate from the farina, and by 

 the time the man has performed a similar service at the other trough, 

 and is ready to pour a fresh supply into the first, the water flowing 

 down the cloth has lost its whiteness. This process is continued 

 until the deposit rises nearly to the level of the stick, when the sago 

 next to it, which generally contains some impure sediment, is taken 

 up with the fingers or thrown into the tub. The second stick is now 

 fixed above the first, a fold of the cloth being interposed between them 

 to prevent any liquid sago escaping through the seam, and the opera- 

 tion goes on as before. When the milk in the upper tub begins to 

 grow shallow it is again filled up with water and more sago stirred up 

 and mixed with it. During the interval and at other more prolonged 

 interruptions, the water in the troughs has had time to deposit 

 all its contelits, the last being a fine fibrous matter, which, if not run 

 over, would leave a thin yellow layer. The surface is therefore 

 washed with the hand unfcil this layer is effaced and held in suspen- 

 sion. When the troughs have been gradually filled up in the manner 

 described, by a succession of deposits, and the wall built up to the top 

 by the last stick, the sago is left to consolidate for twelve or fourteen 

 hours. The fecule which passes out of the troughs in the current is 

 afterwards thrown into one of the tubs, whose contents are to be 

 washed and deposited in their turn, and some of it may even be des- 

 tined to pass through the process many times before it sinks in the 

 trough. 



In order to give it the degree of dryness required, it is exposed for 

 one day to the sun, in lumps about a cubic foot in size, which are 

 placed on tables standing in the open air. Large kajans (or mats) 

 are kept in readiness to cover it when a shower of rain falls. It is 

 next carried to the large shed, where it is thrown in a heap on a long 

 table and broken down into a pulverulent state. It then passes through 

 an oblong sieve, 30 inches by 20 inches, of which the bottom is formed 

 of parallel fibres from the stem of the cocoanut leaf, kept in their 

 position by strings, which cross them at distances of about 2 inches. 

 The lumps which do not pass through the long interstices between 

 the fibres are thrown back into the heap. 



The granulation or pearling now takes place. The sifted sago is 

 placed in a cloth, of which the ends are tied to a long stick, and that 

 is kept expanded in a bag-shape by a short cross-stick. A horizontal 

 vibratory motion is given to this, the whole mass being kept in con- 

 stant agitation and every part successively driven along the sides of 

 the bag. This lasts for about a minute, when the now granular sago 

 is again passed through a sieve similar to the preceding one, but the 

 smaller grains which pass through are those which are rejected. 

 Those that remain are transferred to a circular sieve, of which the 

 bottom is formed of fine strips of bamboo crossing each other. The 

 grains which pass through the square holes thus produced form the 

 pearl sago of commerce in the unroasted state. Those that are 

 larger than the holes are thrown back into the heap to run through 



