The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-10-03
Among the COcOanuts.


Straight up, for fifty feet, an ash-grey
stem, banded with many indented rings
springs from the yellow sand. Far up
the sea breeze rustles feathered crown
of sweeping fern-like fronds, which wave
against the sky like so many gigantic
plumes. As we look up in delight at
this, the first cocoanut tree we had ever
seen, sharp snap sounded overhead,
and we lodged just i'll time to save our
head from large nut, which, breaking
from its stem, had fallen and now rolled
at our feet.
On schooner bound TO Aspinwall,
we had run ashore during the night on
one of the many coral reefs which wall
the Central American coast from the
deep Caribbean. BY day, the lsiet
would have been visible enough, with
its great tree standing as warning 6ea'
con, tall and solitary. But the night
had been dark, and we had made the
closer acquaintance of the signal tree.
We were carried couple OF days later
to st. Andrews by native fishing boat
which had been on a cruise after turtles,
and which we signalled. There we saw
the cocoanut in all its glory. ~. An
drews is the chief supply port OF the
cocoanut in the American tropics. Lhe
nuts are brought North from al along
the coast, and from many OF the West
India Islands, but st. Andrews IS the
great producing center. The island Is
given over entirely to cocoanut growing
| The nuts are its only currency, and from
them many of the islanders have grown
rich, as riches 60 in that primitive So
ciety. The crop, which was originally
nlanted by nature, has since been i'm
proved by man, and now st. Andrews Is
said TO produce the best coeoanuts IN
the world. ,..
The foliage of the cacoanut palm is
inexpressibIy beautiful. Imagine from
fifteen to twenty gigantic ferns, dark
green in color and tOugh-fbered, sharp
pointed and highly polished leaves OF
fronds. Bunch these at the end OF
towering pole, and set them swaying and
cIashinS in the breeze and flashing the
, ann from their polished surfaces, and
Won can form an idea of the tree.
, The cocoanut makes its first appear
ance above ground with a delicate fern
Iike shoot. Another and another fol-
I lows until the growing plant looks Ike
a 0i0antic fern. Then coupleof leaves
: turn yellow, brown, and bright russet,
? and drop of, and you see foot OF stem be
n tween the remaining leaves and ground
. II takes from seven TO ten years to senu
the tree up to a hight of twenty feet
r Then il begins to bear. The first crol
Of nuts is from fifteen to twenty-five
E. wear. When IL is in full bearing a tre
70 will make an annual yield of from eigh
a ty TO one hundred nuts, OF even more
! The ctcoanut propagates with amazing
- raediness. A nut washed ashore oI
=, some tropical beach is rolled up the tide
a. Then the rain rots the husk, and Tia
n. winds bury it in the sand, and next yea
n a cocoanut palm is springing from IN
Is arid ground. The trees protect th
,e tronicsl beaches from the action OF th
n tides Their roots spread out and intel
= lace into tough and matlike net worA
at which opposes work OF vigorous Iesls, ,'.
IS, ance to the gnawing and encroachmen'
70 of the sea.
at Every one knows what the orain"T
n cocoanut of commerce looks ike; j
r. nature, however, It Is enclosed Dy
IS. thick, tough husk, tibrous on the ihs,u
of and from two to three inches thick, bu
nj covered without by a smooth, light-gree
he rind This husk Is either split with
ar blow of a heavy woodknite ana toI
he from the nut, or else the nut Is huSk'
is by splitting the rind on an iron oia, Ia,
IN set in log 1t is from the fibre Oh u
to. husk that the mats and cordage OF cor
fty merce are made. The fibre Is rot-pro
ds, in water, and in tropical ships IS pop
3D. lar in the form of coir rope. The us
ic- Of the cocoanut in all forms are MAJ
fold.
ote The value of the fruit for food Is
Jus last recommendation, The meat
zes the nut is macerated and soaked
- water, and pressed, when It yields
ose rich oil very pleasant in flavor at M
ap- but soon growing rancid on exposui
t3 This oil is also obtained by boiling
ray meat, and furnishes stearinefor candl
Is Il Is used pure for burning, and in soa
it making. Soap made from cocoanut
ion forms a lather IN salt water. Mix
er's with resin, the oil makes valual
pitch for caulking. Il is largely used
tropical cookery, and on many Of I
aborigines and blacks besmearthemsel'
with It as il It were perfume. i
meat from which the oil Is obtained
savory, but, being rich IN fat, Is very
ltos digestible-
saw IA green cocoanut contains only
49, milky uulQ, Whlcn btANuall cv41oAo-
'een On the inside Of the shell. When
our. nut becomes ovorripe on the tree, 81
ieep + watery milk ls left III the she'll 4
rapidly soure, when the nut becon
how worthless. IL il Il picked however,
fore It grows two old. the milk preser
iis sweetness.
how The leaves az the eocoanut palm
nish the most durable thatch known
the tropics. they are also eklensir
laFe worked into mats screens. BASKETS, boz
and So on when dampened and
the posed to the sun until the green port
rols. the fber Is carded and woven
Dom coarse cloth. The wood is fine rIai
man and hard, and IS used IN ornaMI'
'om. work under the name Of poIlN|
'i8nt wood. The nbronr heart
stems is made into cordarc IL.
'ftef Is used fol.bnfninf aud male 0
'Ap aIhhinQ brush. Alfred lI