THE COCOA NUT. 



69 



coir huskj too, assists in this economy of nature : as the ex- 

 posure to moisture and the heat of the sun are conducive to 

 vegetation^ and as the salt-water would destroy the young 

 plant if its tender shoot should be pushed out into the sea^ 

 a curious arrangement takes place ; as soon as the shoot and 

 root push out from the foramen^ they take a direction towards 

 the other end of the nut through the mass of coir fibre^this 

 gives an increased weight to that side of the nut which acts 

 as ballast^ keeping it downwards and under water. The 

 coolness to which the shoot is thus exposed assists in keep- 

 ing the vegetative power in check; but no sooner has it 

 landed upon some congenial soil than it throws out its strong 

 roots^ and soon renders a barren island fertile and verdant. 



The quantity of nuts produced by one palm is immense : 

 at least from twenty to twenty-five are borne monthly, and 

 as the nut is very nutritious, their utility is very great in 

 tropical climates, where field labour would be intolerable. 

 Besides the nut, coir-fibre, and cocoa-nut oil, the cocoa- 

 palm produces Toddy, or Palm-wine, which, though made 

 from various palms, is chiefly made from the cocoa-palm. It 

 is usually asserted that toddy is procured by cutting out the 

 cabbage or the young leaves constituting the heart of the 

 palm-tree, when, from the wound thus made, the sap flows. 



