‘Pv RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
1479 
Sugar from Palm Trees 
Th December, 1919, Missouri Botanic 
Garden Bulletin gives an interesting ac¬ 
count of the sugar palm, Arenga sacehar- 
ifera. This palm is a native of India, 
where it is of economic value for the pro¬ 
duction of both fiber and sugar. Palm 
sugar has been collected for local con¬ 
sumption by the natives of India, Malaya 
and the Philippines for many years. India 
now is increasing its production of sugar 
from the extensive semi-cultivated groves 
of the wild date of Bengal and the pal- 
invra of Southern India and Ceylon. The 
United States Department of Agriculture 
stations in the Philippines are experi¬ 
menting with four well-known palms, 
which, with the use of modern machinery, 
ought to increase greatly the production 
of sugar. The coeoanut palm will pro¬ 
duce sugar, but its present economic 
product of copra is too valuable to be 
replaced by anything else. 
The “kaong” or sugar palm in the 
Cavite Province of the Philippine Islands 
begins to flower in six years, provided the 
tree has plenty of room for development. 
It is not strictly a jungle species, but pre¬ 
fers the banks of mountain streams, mar¬ 
gins of forests, and particularly open hill¬ 
sides. The fiber which surrounds the 
trunk is a soft, shining, brownish black 
substance mixed with masses of strong 
needle-like spines. The presence of this 
fiber is responsible for the plant’s local 
Spanish name “cabonegro” or “black¬ 
head.” Economically, this inner fiber is 
valued in commerce for rope-making be¬ 
cause of its resistance to salt water, with¬ 
standing alternate wetting and drying or 
continued exposure, and is superior to 
any other fiber. It is known in com¬ 
merce as “gamuti” or “cju.” The seeds 
when fully matured are occasionally used 
in desserts, being prepared by boiling in 
sugar and adding spices or other flavoring 
substances. The outer pulp-like covering, 
or pericard. enclosing the three hard- 
shelled seeds, contains needle-like irritat¬ 
ing crystals which cause severe itching 
when brought in contact with the skin. 
Both bats and wild pigs feed upon the 
yellow fruits. 
The natives usually follow traditional 
customs in tapping and managing the 
flower spikes. Only the male spikes are 
selected for sap collection, and after these 
are “spotted” they are “beaten” or 
“pulled” mornings and evenings for a 
period of three weeks. This is accom¬ 
plished by jerking the spikes when low 
enough, or when high tying to them long 
strips of bamboo to enable the tapper to 
perform this jerking or pulling operation 
from the ground. This primary opera¬ 
tion. according to the natives, influences 
a greater flow of sap into the peduncle 
or flower spike. 
When the flowers have opened an in¬ 
cision is made in the upper portion of 
the spike close to the first pedicels. In 
common practice the end of the cut stem 
is thoroughly rubbed with crushed fruits 
of wild pepper, as this is supposed to 
increase the flow of sap. The cut end 
is then wrapped wtih banana leaves to 
keep it from drying out, this covering 
usually being left on from two to three 
days until the flow of san begins. Oc¬ 
casionally the sap will exude the first or 
second day, but it is three days before 
the quantity is sufficient to allow collec¬ 
tion. The maximum flow in most cases is 
usually attained during the first three 
weeks after tapping. However, variations 
due to temperature, rainfall, etc., may 
influence the flow and the time at which 
the maximum is attained. It is also ob¬ 
served that, due to mismanagement, the 
flow will stop suddenly, while under ex¬ 
pert care it may last from eight to ten 
weeks. 
The method of collecting the sap is by 
means of a “panahod,” a water-tight re¬ 
ceptacle, consisting of a section of a large 
bamboo cut just below the node. This 
is suspended from the flower spike im¬ 
mediately below the incision. A slit is 
also made on the under side of the cut 
end of the peduncle to prevent the sap 
from flowing back toward the trunk of 
the tree. The panahods are usually col¬ 
lected mornings and evenings, fresh re¬ 
ceptacles being used each time in order to 
prevent the action of certain wild yeasts 
which cause fermentation. At the time 
of collection the tapper also removes a 
thin slice from the stem, again rubbing the 
exposed portion with pepner fruits to in¬ 
crease the flow. When the flow reaches 
the point of unprofitable yield a wad of 
burning fiber is held against the stem so 
as to dry up the tissue and stop any fur¬ 
ther leakage. Trees that are under cul¬ 
tivation will flow from two to three 
months, producing on an average of 2 V-> 
to ft gallons a day, this yield usually di¬ 
minishing to about % gallon at the end 
ot - !•* months. According to O. W. Bnr- 
it appears probable that one hectare 
*-•47 acres) containing not less than 150 
and not more than 200 trees, should pro¬ 
duce, under modern culture methods, 
some 20 or more tons of marketable 
sugar per year over a period of 10 to 15 
years. This" yield, considering the ex¬ 
tremely low upkeep, compares very favor¬ 
ably with that of the very best cane sugar 
plantations. 
Iu the Cavite Province of the Philip- 
pmei Islands the “kaong” sap is converted 
into vinegar. One quart of the sap with 
proper oxidation will give approximately 
flu arts of four per cent vinegar. The 
nap is collected in the same manner as for 
sugar, except that the panahods are not 
katnered as often, nor is there any effort 
lection ° * )lovou *' fermentation upon col- 
(Continued on page 14S1) 
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