THE COCOA. 



219 



plant in proportion of one to three. There are 

 now (1857) extensive nurseries in the Mashamba 

 (plantations), and as this palm bears after six or 

 seven years, it soon recovered its normal status. 

 Many trees are prostrated by gusts and torna- 

 dos : the Hindus replant them by digging a hole, 

 and hauling up the bole with ropes made fast to 

 the neighbouring stems — this simple contrivance 

 is here unknown. 



The Wasawahili have many different names 

 for the nut, viz. Kidaka, too green when it falls 

 to the ground for any use but fuel ; Dafu, 

 or Kitale, when the milk is drinkable, the 

 husk is burned, and the shell is made into a 

 ladle (maghraf) ; the Koroma, when the meat 

 is fit to eat, and Nazi, 1 the full-grown nut 

 ready for oil-making. This most useful of plants 

 supplies, besides meat, wine and spirits, syrup 

 and vinegar, cords, mats, strainers, tinder, fire- 

 wood, houses and palings, boats and sails — 

 briefly, all the wants of barbarous life. Every 

 part of it may be pressed into man's service, 

 from the sheath of the first or lowest leaf, used 

 as a sieve, to the stalk of the young fruit, which, 



1 Nazi, in Kisawahili, is the fruit, Mnazi the tree : in this 

 case the initial letter is evidently a contraction of Mti, a tree. 

 The name for the sun-dried meat, ' kobra,' is borrowed from 

 the Hindustani ' khopra.' 



