The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-04-22
WORLDS LARGEST NUTS
GROWN ON GREAT PALMS

found on only three isles of the group,
Praslin, Curieuse and Round Islands.
which are within half mile of each
other.
Fruit That Weighs Fifty Pounds.
1t attains a height of so or 80 feet, and
is surrounded by a beautiful crown of
winged and palmated leaves The diam
eter of the trunk varies from IL to 10
inches. and the whole is SO flexible that
1t sways in a strong breeze. The leaves
attain length of 20 feet, and even 80
feet, with breadth of 10 or IL feet, and
open like a fan. The fruit is the largest
which any tree produces. 1t frequently
is is inches in length, with a circumfer-
ence of feet, and sometimes weighs 10
or so pounds. A remarkable circumstance
connected with the tree is the length of
time necessary to mature its fruits and
the long duration Of the bloom. 1t bears
only one spadix in each year, and yet has
often as many as dozen in bloom at
once. 1t has flowers and fruit of all ages
at one time.
Until the year 1S43, when they were
seen on the trees In the only spot where
they grow, the nuts were known solely
from having been found floating in the
Indian ocean off the Maldive Islands.
They were found in no other place in the
world. The reason was that the trees
grew on the shores of the Seychelles, and
large quantities of the great fruit, falling
into the water, were borne to the NAL
dives by currents, the direction of which
in those parts is east-northeast.
Grown in the Sea.
The nuts were always found minus the
husk and mostly with the internal part
decayed. They were called "Calappa
Laut'' by the Dutch, and under that ap-
pellation Rumphius has given a histori-
cal account of them. The double cocoa
nut, he says, is not a terrestrial produc-
ton, which may have fallen by accident
into the sea and there become petrfied,
but fruit probably growing itself in the
sea, whose fruit hitherto has been con-
cealed from the eye of man.
The Malay and Chinese sailors used 10
affirm that 1t was borne upon tree deep
under water, which was similar to d
cocoanut tree, and was visible in placid
bays upon the coast of Sumatra. etc, but
that If they sought to dive after it the
tree instantly disappeared.
A Negro Superstition.
The negro priests declared it grew near
the Island of Java, where its leaves and
branches rose obove the water, and
formed the habitation of a monstrous
bird or griffin. This griffin was accus-
toned to sally forth nightly and tear to
pieces with its beak such Insignificant
game as elephants, rhinoceroses anC
tigers and carry off the flesh to it's nest
to feed on at leisure. Moreover, ships
were attracted by the waves which sur
rounded the tree and were unable to sail
out of the fatal zone, so that the hapless
sailors fell an easy prey to the voracious
bird. Needless to say that the inhabi-
tants of the Indian Archipelago in their
travels about the ocean were careful to
give the spot the widest possible berth.
1t is no matter for wonder under the
circumstances, that the nut should have
been highly priced. In the Maldivian Is.
lands 1t was death to any man to pos
sess it, All nuts that were found be-
came the immediate property of the king,
who sold them at a very high price or
offered them as the most precious regal
gifts. Their value was estimated at from
60 to 100 crowns. but those which meas
ured as much in breadth as in length
were the most esteemed. and those which
attained a foot in diameter fetched as
high as $50 crowns. In fact, some kings
were reputed to have given a loaded ship
for single nut.
Put to Many Uses.
Nowadays the crown of the trunk
mat is, tne neart Oh the leaYeS-ls eaten
like that of the American cabbage palm,
and often preserved in vinegar; but il
is less delicate and slightly bitter The
trunk itself, after being split and cleared
of it's soft and fibrous internal parts,
serves to make water troughs as well as
palisades for surrounding houses and
gardens. The foliage 10 employed to
thatch the roofs of houses and sheds
and even for walls. With a hundred
leaves a commodious dwelling may BIZ
constructed. including the partitions of
the apartments. the doors and windows
The down attached to the young leaves
serves for filling mattresses and pillows.
The ribs of the leaves and fibres of the
petiole are used for making baskets and
brooms, while the young foliage furnishes
an excellent material for hats
sigma.
The most difficult work solicited. Hermit