152 



USES OF THE COCOA NUT. 



have seen a finer linen manufactured than ever came from 

 an Irish loom, while the most valuable drugs and dye woods 

 literally infest the island. 



To illustrate this supineness a little more in detail : the 

 cocoa nut, which is one of the most profitable fruits that 

 the earth produces, is turned to no account whatever by 

 the Jamaicans, though it grows as luxuriant here as in any 

 quarter of the globe. I was told, by a gentleman who had 

 a large number of these trees in full maturity, that he would 

 esteem them the best property on his estate, if he could 

 get one dollar a hundred for the nuts, but that there was 

 a very limited market for them, at any price. And 

 yet there is no part of this fruit that is not valuable. It 

 thrives in a sandy soil, and bears, in Jamaica within three 

 or four years after it is planted. From its flowers the finest 

 arrack in the world may be distilled, and the best of vine- 

 gar. A coarse brown sugar may also be prepared from 

 the flower. The green fruit yields a nutritious and delight- 

 ful drink, and a more substantial food in the pulp which 

 contains the liquid. When ripe, the fruit is popular as an 

 article of diet in all parts of the world. From that fruit a 

 pure oil may be extracted, which may be manufactured 

 into candles, soap, and used in a variety of other ways, in 

 which vegetable oils are available, while the refuse, or oil 

 cake, as it is called, is a most excellent food for cattle. 



A medicinal oil is extracted from the bark, which is 



