The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-20
COCOANUT PALM,
Oranges, Lemons, PineappIes and
Bananas of Porto Rico.

New York Tribune
ga drink of cocoanut water in the early
morning from a live cocoanut," says a
woman recently returned from Porto
Rico, SIS drink fit for the gods. 1t is
Their cool and sparkling, with a flavor
that is pleasant and slightly sweet.
1.-The hard, white substance inside the
shells which we know as cocoanut is
never seen in the fruits native country.
On the contrary, there is only a thin gela-
tinous coating, which may be scraped off
| with a spoon. The milk as we call it, is
only milky as a result of the fruit being
picked before it is ripe and travelling hun
dreds of miles. In its natural state this
liquid is as clear as spring water. While
still alive, as they express it on the
island, the shell is soft and easily cut
with a knife.
1t is said that a cocoanut palm bears a
nut for every day in the year. However
that may be, 1t is certain that the oc-
cupant of Tundra cabin can supply al
most every need from the spreading tree
which shelters his little home from the
tropical sun and storms. The new leaves
| are cooked and used as food, and the
larger ones are plated and employed for
the sides of huts. They are also used for
fans, fences, thatch, bedding, fish nets,
hats and combs, or are burned by the
W. -lerWOmen for potash The flowers
contain a powerful astringent, which is
used incidentally in some parts of the
world
From the sap a delicious drink is de-
rived which, when fermented, is also
used as yeast, and later as vinegar The
tough fibers from the husks are stripped
off, soaked for several weeks in water and
woven into cocoanut baskets, which are
used in gathering the fruit and into
mats and ropes. The shells are utilized
for water vessels and scrubbing brushes
The wood from the tree not only supplies
fuei, but is the we'll known porcupine
wood used in buildings and furniture The
water is used in cooking and in making
plaster.
TO plant a cocoanut tree, q nut Is laid
on the ground, and before long sprouts
are sent up from the eyes, and roots
shoot down from the base into the earth
When the sprout has grown three or four
feet high the nut is broken from the roots
and the nut and sprout are planted about
eight inches deep in the earth Trees be-
gin to bear when they are five years old
The trees bear fruit all the year, and
each nut is protected in thick, green,
bagllke husk. There are large cocoanut
groves along the Western coast of Porto
Rico, and smaller ones on all sides of the
island
The best pineapples in the world, It is
said, are found in Porto Rico, those
weighing 20 pounds each not being IN
usual. pineapple field looks like a
cabbage field. The foliage is of a salmon
color mixed with green. This fruit grows
IN the foothills and valleys with little or
no cultivation.
Bananas are an important article Of
food in Porto Rico, and the destruction of
that crop caused much of the present dis
tess there. 1t is the only crop of the
Fofto Rlcans the destruction of which
could cause famine. They are eaten by
a portion of the population In place of
bread, and are eaten raw or cooked The
fat round stomachs of Porto Rico babies
are often caused by an overdiet of the
fruit, and the term banana stomach Is
a familiar one
Oranges grow back from the coast on
the mountain foothills. and they and lem
ons, as well as pineapples grow almost
wild. Several varieties grow in Porto
Rico, and all have sprung from seeds
which have been dropped"