DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Voiv. VII Washington, D. C., November 13, 1916 No. 7 
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, DIGESTIBILITY, AND FEED¬ 
ING VALUE OF VEGETABLE-IVORY MEAL 1 
By C. L. Beals and J. B. Lindsey, 
Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station 
INTRODUCTION 
Vegetable ivory, or the corozo nut, as it is commonly known in com¬ 
merce, is the seed or nut of the palmlike plant Phytelephas macrocarpa. It 
is a native of the Latin American countries, being found in great quanti¬ 
ties along the banks of the Magdalena, in Colombia, where it is known as 
“tagua.” It is also found in Peru and in the forests of northern Ecua¬ 
dor. In appearance the plant itself is a stemless palm, bearing its fruit 
in conglomerate heads, often weighing 25 to 30 pounds apiece. These 
heads are made up of 30 to 50 seeds or nuts, varying in size from half 
an inch to several inches in diameter. In the earlier stages of growth 
the seed contains a clear, insipid liquid, which later changes to a sweet, 
milky paste, and finally hardens into the white horny substance from 
which it derives its name “vegetable ivory.” 
Large quantities of the nuts are imported annually by Great Britain 
and Germany, principally for the manufacture of buttons. The United 
States uses about 10,000 tons annually, costing $1,500,000 (1, p. 200). 2 
Beneath the brown outer coating the dried nut has the appearance of 
dentine ivory, and can easily be sawed, carved, and turned into all sizes 
and shapes of buttons, while the texture is such that it readily absorbs 
dyes and will take a high polish. 
In the process of manufacture a considerable portion of the nut is 
wasted in the form of sawdust, chips, and turnings. In foreign countries 
this waste has been mixed with other ingredients to be used as a cattle 
food. German writers state that vegetable-ivory meal has been used 
1 From the Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station. Printed with 
the permission of the Director of the Station, 
2 Reference is made by number to “ Literature cited,” p. 320. 
(301) 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, 
gb 
Vol. VII, No. 7 
Nov. 13, 1916 
Mass.—-2 
