1605 
reserve in famine years. The mowra tree sheds its leaves 
in February and the flowers appear in March and April, 
at which time the ground beneath the trees is care- 
fully cleared. 
The flowers have a thick, juicy, globe-shaped 
corolla of a pale cream color, inclosed at the base 
in a velvety, chocolate-colored calyx. The corollas 
fall in the early morning, and are collected by the 
women and children. They are then spread out to dry 
on mats in the sun when they wither to half their 
weight and develop a brownish red color. In some 
cases the flowers are collected before they drop, and 
in many places it is the practice to remove only the 
corollas, leaving the pistil to ripen to a fruit. A 
tree will yield 200 to 300 pounds of flowers in a 
year. 
When fresh the flowers are extremely sweet, with 
a peculiarly pungent flavor and a characteristic color. 
When dry this flavor is less perceptible , particularly 
if the stamens are removed, -the flavor then resembles 
that of figs. The flowers are eaten either fresh or 
dried, and cooked in many different ways, -with rice, 
shredded coconut, or flour. The greater portion of 
the crop of flowers is used for the preparation, by 
fermentation, of mohwa spirit. The corollas are very 
useful for feeding cattle; they have extraordinary 
keeping qualities as they dry well and are not attacked 
by weevils. The composition of the flowers has been in- 
vestigated at different times and the results vary 
considerably, particularly in respect to the quan- 
tity and nature of the sugar present. The total amount 
of sugar recorded in the flowers of this tree varies 
from 40 to 70 per cent. The quantity of cane sugar 
varies from 3 to 17 per cent and that of invert sugar 
from 40 to 53 per cent, while one author has stated 
that the sugar is entirely invert sugar. Only a small 
quantity of protein is present, the maximum amount 
recorded being 7.25 per cent. 
The nuts contain a solid fleshy kernel, which 
includes from 35 to 40 per cent of a greenish-colored 
grease which is obtained by pressure. The oil cake 
has a bitter taste and can not be used for feeding 
cattle. The oil becomes rancid soon after manufacture 
and assumes a dirty yellow color. Its density at 15° 
C. is 0.972; it melts at 43° to 44° C. and solidi- 
fies at 36°. It is very soluble in ether and partic- 
ularly so in alchohol. It saponifies easily with 
alkalies, and it constitutes a mixture of 80 per cent 
