Oils and Fats. 



10 



[July, 1912. 



South Sea Islands articles of clothing 

 are also made from them. The flower- 

 spathes, when dried, are used as torches, 

 and are also twisted into coarse ropes 

 after being soaked in water. 



The water contained in the unripe nut 

 is a cool, refreshing drink that is much 

 appreciated in tropical countries, and 

 constitutes the only available drinking 

 water on some of the smaller oceanic 

 islands. The soft creamy kernel of the 

 unripe nut, when flavoured by spices 

 and lime-juice, is eaten as a delicacy. 

 The ripe nuts enter into the composition 

 of numerous native sweetmeats and 

 curries. " Coconut milk " is prepared by 

 grating the fresh kernel and mixing it 

 with a little water and then passing 

 through a cotton cloth. The liquid which 

 passes through the cloth is an emulsion 

 consisting of oil suspended in water with 

 a little mucilage and sugar ; it resembles 

 milk in appearance and consistency, and 

 is extensively used in India in the prepa- 

 ration of curries and as a substitute for 

 cow's milk. The oil obtained from the 

 kernel of the nut by boiling with water 

 or expression is used as an article of food 

 and also employed for culinary purposes; 

 it was formerly extensively used as an 

 illuminant in the East, but to a large 

 extent it is now replaced by kerosene. 

 The husk is utilised as fuel, and sections 

 are used as brushes ; the fibre, of which it 

 is largely composed, is made into brushes, 

 yarn, cordage, and matting. The coco- 

 nuts shells are used as fuel, and are also 

 formed into numerous articles of domes- 

 tic use, such as drinking vessels, spoons, 

 funnels, ladles, etc., and are sometimes 

 carved and polished to form ornaments. 



A favourite native drink, known as 

 "tuba" in the Philippines, and in the 

 East as " toddy," is obtained from the 

 inflorescence before the flowers expand. 

 To obtain "toddy" the natives climb the 

 tree and bind the flower-spathe in several 

 places with strips of palm leaf to prevent 

 it expanding. The spathe is then bruised 

 by being beaten with a club or mallet. 

 At the end of from ten to twenty days, 

 during which period the beating is per- 

 iodically repeated, a portion of the spathe 



is cut off, and from the wound a quantity 

 of liquid exudes, which is collected in a 

 vessel placed to receive it. This " bleed- 

 ing " continues for about a month, and 

 each day during this period a fresh slice 

 is removed from the spathe to facilitate 

 the flow of the liquid. As much as six 

 pints a day is sometimes obtained from a 

 single tree. In a fresh state this liquid 

 forms a sweet and pleasant beverage, 

 and is drunk by both natives and Euro- 

 peans. After standing for a short period 

 "toddy" ferments, and as a result the 

 liquid becomes a highly intoxicating 

 beverage known as " palm wine." Prom 

 the fermented liquid, a spirit known as 

 "arrack " is obtained by distillation, the 

 yield of spirit being about 25 per cent, of 

 the palm wine distilled. Arrack is pro- 

 duced in considerable quantities in 

 Ceylon, the Malay Peninsula, and else- 

 where in the East, where there is an 

 important trade, in this commodity. 



If allowed to remain for a few weeks, 

 palm wine undergoes acetic fermentation 

 and becomes converted into vinegar. In a 

 state of fermentation toddy is sometimes 

 used in bread-making as a substitute for 

 yeast. By evaporating toddy before 

 fermentation has commenced a sugary 

 substance, known as " jaggery " or palm 

 sugar, is obtained. In preparing jaggery 

 the toddy is filtered, as soon as collected, 

 through a piece of the fibrous leaf -sheath 

 of the palm, a small quantity of lime and 

 a few pieces of the bark of Valeria indica 

 being added to the liquid to cheek fer- 

 mentation. After being boiled over a 

 slow fire in an earthenware vessel for 

 about two hours a substance of the con- 

 sistency of treacle is obtained, which is 

 poured into sections of the shell of the 

 coconut to cool. The palm sugar which 

 crystallises out is thus formed into cakes, 

 which are wrapped in plaintain leaves 

 for sale and form an important item of 

 food with native races in the East. It 

 requires about eight gallons of toddy to 

 yield two gallons of jaggery. In Java 

 jaggery is fermented and the product 

 distilled for alcohol. 



Cultivation. 

 Climate Soil and Situation.— The co- 

 conut palm is a light-loving species, in- 



