The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-05-07

very general use in the province, and
in many of the seaports of Brazil. A
great number Of articles are made of
straw in Europe for which the fibre
of this palm is usually substituted in
Brazil Thus they make of it, and
sell at moderate prices, hats, mats,
baskets, bcooms, mattresses, etc.
These are all in frequent and COM
mon use, and are carried by sea
along the coast, as we'll as the leaves
for making them. Thus, in the year
1857, there were shipped from the
ports Of Ceara and Aracati 30,625
mats, and about halt a million leaves
of carEauba, officially valued at
e1,500. Another frequent use for
these @eaves is to make a kind of
cushion for the back of beasts of
burden, to prevent the load injuring
the animal. The dry leaves are also
employed for matching cottages. Ia
Cears and the adjoining provinces.
one third of the houses are covered
with these leaves, which are remark
able ior their lighuness, elegance and
durability, and form an lmpermeable
thatch.
AS evidence of the wastful de-
struction Of the leaves by burning,
the following estimate may be given.
A dry leaf, with the pedicle removed,
weighs 134 grammes. The wax pow,
der removed from a leaf is on the
average 6.75 grammes. The number
of leaves burnt in 1868, calculated
on the yield of 100000 kilo-
grammes, gives 296,444,446. The
weight of leaves at 1874 grammes
each would be 1928, 555 lzilo-
grammes. The immense quantity of
textile material thus lost might be
easily utilized for cordage, straw,
etc. 1t only involves the cost of
collection, which may be set down at
less than 2d per cwt. on the spot.
The locality where it could be had
in most abundance is the town of
Limoeiro, about ten or twelve miles
from the port of Aracati, for the
carriage road between the two is
bordered by the carnauba palms An
attentive examination of this fbre,
and its abundance, suggests It's utility
as paper-making substance. The
scarcity of rags is becoming greater
daily, therefore any raw material
that can supply their place is a boon
tn tho manor trade
The wood of the carnauba is very
useful. Not only is it generally en-
ployed as carpentry wood, but it is
esteemed for joiners' and cabinet
work. 1t is very hard, of yellow
ish red, traversed with black veins, is
susceptible of a fine polish, and oc-
casionally offers black shades of a
handsome effect. For general car
penters' work not exposed to the in
clemency Of the seasons the wood
answers admirably, for in such posi-
tions it is indestructible. 1t has
nothing TO tear from gnawing animals
if it is felled at maturity. But if ex-
posed to the weather its duration is
precarious, and it decays in from ten
TO fifteen years. To make amends
for this, it is most durable in salt
water, and is much esteemed for
piles, palisades, etc, from ITS great
resistance. There have been removed
from old marine constructions, aban-
doned for more than a century, piles
of this wood in a thorough state of
preservation The carnauba would
also be suitable for yards of vessels,
as it is perfectly cylindrical, of an
equal thickness throughout it's length,
and very elastic M, Manoel Dias,
of Aracati, thus speaks of the car
nauba in the Catalogue of Products
shown at the National Exhibition,
Rio Janeiro, in 1861: "This Won
derful palm is the tree of special
utility. Man can with this plant
alone construct his house, furnish and
light it. He can obtain from it
wherewith to nourish, clothe and
heal him. He can extract from it
fecula, sugar and spirit. Moreover il
furnishes good food for cattle and
the denizens of the poultry yard. No
other plant has been supplied by ma
ture with so many useful properties
as the calnauba, which is in the veg
etable kingdom what iron is in the
mineral kingdom. The products of
this palm can be applied to more
than forty diverse uses, and it may
be added that the number of its vari-
GUS applications is by no means ex-
hausted Sinln1OnClS.
(C0ncIuded.)
H.. e