OF THE COCO-NUT TREE. 
Ill 
the flux, the epilepsy, and apoplexy. Rochon tells us that 
it was not uncommon at one time to see them sold for up- 
wards of L. 400 sterling each. The Emperor Eodolphus 
the Second could not procure one at the price of 4000 flo- 
rios. Some of the wealthy Indians had cups made of them, 
which they ornamented with gold aod precious stones. 
They are now more generally diffused than formerly, and 
consequently much less valuable. Malte Bhun informs 
us that it has been found profitable to cultivate them in the 
Isle of France. Many of the mendicants in Ceylon have 
nuts of this kind, in which they put the provisions they re- 
ceive in alms *. 
The Coco-nut tree, both in regard to the variety and 
utility of its products, is the most interesting of the palm 
tribe, " the princes of the vegetable kingdom."'* 
The tree sometimes bears fruit in five or six years from 
the time it is transplanted from the seed-bed, but the pro- 
duce is rarely abundant before the eighth or ninth year. 
It continues to yield fruit for sixty or seventy years. In 
good soils, and particularly during wet seasons, the tree 
blossoms every four or five weeks ; hence there are gene- 
rally fresh fiiowers and ripe nuts on the tree at the same 
time. There are commonly from five to fifteen nuts in a 
bunch ; and, in good soils, a tree may produce from eight 
to twelve bunches, or from 80 to 100 nuts annually. 
Coco-nut trees are sometimes much injured by various 
species of Scarabeus, particularly the Scarabeus rJimoceros. 
They excavate a hole of about an inch diameter in the ter- 
minal leaf-bud, and, when the leaves expand, the leaflets 
appear full of holes, as if they had been battered with shot 
of different sizes. In consequence of the injury done to the 
bud by this insect, the trees are sometimes killed. 
* System of Geography by Malte Buun, vol. iv. p. 4-20. Thunbeug's 
Travels, vol. iv. p. 209. 
