The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-08
one OF NATURES WONDERS
TINS. SIRE ENOGGH, ~ THE
COCOlNI TREE.
Feed. DrlnI and shelter ft Has Long Pro-
NIded for Dwellers by TrOpIc seas. a.
u Now supplies Things Of UtIIIty and
Or LuXury for All the World Besides.

F0Du, Rbrhnk anu 1nedueF " hhNk Long FfO-
NIded for DweIIers Ivy TrOpIc seas. a.
H Now supplies Things Of UtIIItO and
OF Luxury for All the World Besides.
a wonder for sure ia the Cocoanut tree"
said a man familiar with the tree. its fruit
and It's manufactured products, ats native
home is India, from which originally its
seed was carried by ocean currents to islands
of the sea and 20 moreor less distant MAIN
lands. whence by e, other currents or per-
haps by the hands of man it WAS carried on
still further until the cocoanut tree had
come TO be found in tropical and subtrop-
ical ciimes all around the globe.
The cOcoanut thriVes best in lands along
the margin of the sea; il likes the salt water.
Plant a Cocoanut back Of a fence or a stone
wall and it will grow up straight Until 10
has com to the height of the fence, but
above that il will incline toward the water.
II it is planted further inland they put q
block Of salt under il.
The seed is the cocoanut itself. which as
you now is encased, as il grows on the
tree. in an elongated fibre filed husk with
a hard, smooth outer surface. CocOanuts
dropping from the tree into the sea and
then floating away first srTCad the tree over
the earth.
Having foUrd suitable Judgment the nut
sends Up out If enc Of the three eyes 20 be
found in one end Of 1.-THE eyes amiiiar to
- as We commonly see the CccCanCt in its
spherical form Invested of it's outer hUek-
through one Of these eyes il SENDS Up a
sprout which works its way through ard
OFT of the hUsk. this ! eng he start of the
tree. As the young tree grows the hrsk
disintegrates ard Tots away.
"COcCanut trees attain a height of Grom
twenty to eighty feet. according TO situ alton
and circumstances. The tree begins to bear
fruit at about eight years of age. it's life is
about 100 years, it's yield in bearing about
n hundred nuts annually. and an inter6 sting
fact il that the nuts drop from the tree at
night.
"ln many places in which IL is found the
tree. with its fruit, is indisE eL sable TO the
'wellbeing and it nay be 10 the existence Of
the NATIVE human dwellers. The outer bark
OF the tree supplies a material which may be
Used for the PURPOSES Of clothing; tho sol
ider part of the tree trunk may be used for
the framing and tho trees leaves for the
covering Of shelters. while the trees fruit
supplies food and the tibres of the husk a
material for fishing lines.
"ln many places where the ~oOcOanut
tree thrives fish and ~Cocoanuts form the
only food supplies Of the natives, and in
distant isolated salt water surrounded
islands or a he ocoanut may be their
only source OF supply Of fresh water. Tha
cocoanut tree is practically hollow inside.
and through this porous interior. almost
as freely as it could be pumped up through
a pump log. it draws up water for its own
~sustenance and growth, and from this
il fills with distilled water the fruit on the
tree, for the milk so-called in the cocoanut
Is practically drinking water. with very
little other matter. And 80 in some places
the ~cocoanut supplies all the fresh water
obtainable 9s it may as well the fOod-surely
a wonderful and beneficent tree.
Coming back TO the general subject,
we find hat the manufactured products
Of this wonderful tree are now in common
use throughout the civilized world. To
bring II right close IL may be that when you
go home Tonight you will wipe the mud
of your shoes on a doormat made Of It's
fibre and II you should take q nap before
dinner you will lie down. IL mag be. on q
lounge whose stuflng contains moro or
less of the same material.
The oil with which you dress your salad
may be %oocoanut oil, n for dessert you
may have oocoanut PIE In the kitchen you
pEnight find scrubbing brushes made OF