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Cocos no ciFERA, Linn. — The Coco-nut Palm is considered by De 

 Candolle to be a native of the Malay Archipelago. Its introduc- 

 tion into India, Ceylon, and China, he thinks, does not date further 

 back than 3,000 years, and the transport by sea to the coasts of 

 America and Africa took place perhaps in a more remote epoch. 

 But, as the natives of South America have not learnt to make 

 much use of this palm, except as a fruit, and as they are ac- 

 quainted with all the various purposes to which their own truly 

 indigenous palms may be put, it would rather seem that the 

 Coco-nut palm is of very late introduction into the New ^Vorld. 



" Toddy" is obtained from the flower spathe just before it opens 

 by slicing off the top, and collecting the sap in a vessel. It has a 

 pleasant, sweetish taste, and in large doses is aperient ; fermented 

 it is intoxicating. It can also be boiled down into a coarse sugar 

 called "jaggery," which is refined, or fermented and distilled into 

 spirit-. 



The young Coco-nut contains a sweet refreshing water and 

 jelly. The nut is generally harvested before it is perfectly mature. 

 If the outer skin dries on the tree the fibre of the husk becomes 

 coarse and dark in colour, if too young, it is weak. Coco-nut milk 

 is made from gratings of the kernel. The shell is carved and used 

 for many purposes. The dried kernel is known as " kopra," and 

 is used for the preparation of oil by expression or boiling. The 

 solid fat is employed in making candles, and the oil for cooking, 

 for lamps, as a substitute for cod-liver oil, &c. The cake which is 

 left, or "poonac," is a good food for cattle and is also used as a 

 manure. 



The husk of the fruit yields Coir-Fibre. " Coir is remarkable 

 for its durability, and is used for the manufacture of various textile 

 fabrics, brushes, cordage for the rigging of ships, nets, matting 

 stuffing of cushions, pads and mattresses, scrubbing brushes, fish- 

 ing nets, &c. The tender leaves are used for platting mats, boxes, 

 and other fancy articles. The mature leaves are plaited into mat- 

 ting, and also used as materials for fences, sails, buckets, books, 

 fans, torches and fuel. The ash yields an abundance of potash. 

 The midribs of the leaflets are made use of as brooms, brushes, and 

 skewers. The stalk of the spadix itself is in every day use as a 

 chunam brush to whitewash houses with. The reticulated web of 

 the base of the leaf forms a coarse kind of cloth. The cottony 

 hairs are used as a styptic. The soft parts within the stem of the 

 Coco-nut are cut out and pounded in a mortar ; the resulting pulp 

 is washed in water, and the farina is collected, and used as a sub- 

 stitute for sago. Aged and unfruitful trees are cut down, and the 

 wood is turned to a variety of useful purposes ; it is hard, hand- 

 some, and durable, known under the name of Porcupine ^Vood ; it 

 is used for veneering. The hard stem is converted into drums, gut- 

 ters, water-pipes, small boats, frames, furniture, rafters for houses, 

 Spear-shafts, shingles, walking-sticks, ladies' work boxes, &c. The 

 root stem takes a high polish so as to resemble agate. A cubic foot 

 weighs 70 pounds, and the wood is supposed to last 50 years." (Dr. 

 John Shortt.) A dye can be extracted from every part of the plant, 

 producing a dirty-brown colour. Gum is said to be yielded in Tahiti. 



