The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-01-01
THE GREAT COCOANUT TREE.
One OF the Wonders of Naturc-FOOd.
Drink and Shelter Provided for
Tropical Dwellers.

"A wonder for sure Is the cocoanut
| tree" said a man familiar with the
| tree, its fruit as manufactured pro.
ducts. Its native home IS India.
from which originally It's seed was
carried by ocean currents to islands
OF the sea AMI to more or less distant
mainlands. whence by yet other cur
rents or perhaps by the hands Of man
1t was carried on still further until
the cocoanut tree had come to be
found, as 1t Is now. in tropical and
sub-tropical climes all around the
globe.
THE cocoanut thrives best In lands
along the margin Of the sea: it likes
tho salt water. Plant cocoanut back
OF a fence or stone wall and it will
grow up straight until it has come to
the height Of the fence, hut above
that 1t will incline toward the water.
II 1t is planted further inland they
put block Of salt under it.
"The seed is the cocoanut itself,
which. as YOU know, is encased as it
grows on the tree in an elongated
fibre filled husk with hard, smooth
outer surface. Cocoanuts dropping
from the tree into the sea and then
floating away first spread the tree
over the earth.
Having found suitable lodgment
the nut sends up out Of one of the
three eyes to be found in one end of
1.-THE eyes familiar to us as we COM
monty see the cocoanut in its spheri-
cal form divested oe its outer husk-
through one Of these eyes it sends up
sprout which works Its way through
and out Of the husk, this being the
start Of the young cocoanut tree. As
the young tree grows the husk disin-
tegrates and rots away
"Cocoanut trees attain a height Of
from twenty to eighty feet. according
to situation and circumstances. The
tree begins to bear fruit at about
eight years Of age, its life is about
120 years: Its yield in bearing about
q hundred nuts annually. and an in
teresting fact Is that the nuts drop
from the tree at night.
In many places In which the fruit
ID found the tree. with its fruit, is in
dispensable to the well being and 1t
may be to the existence Of the native
human dwellers. The outer bark Of
the tree supplies a material which
may be used for the purpose Of cloth
ing; the solder part Of the trunk may
be used for the framing and the trees
leaves for the covering Of shelters,
while the trees fruit supplies food
and the fibres Of the husk a material
for fishing lines.
I'm many places where the cocoa
nut tree thrives f1sh and cocoanuts
from the only food supplies of the
natives, and in distant isolated salt
waves. surrounded islands or Gays, the
cocoanut may be their only source Of
supply OF fresh water. The cocoanut
tree Is practically hollow inside, and
through this porous interior, almost
as freely as 1t could be pumped up
through pump log, 1t draws up wa
ter for It's own substenance and
growth and from which II fllls 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 so in
some places the cocoanut supplies all
the fresh water obtainable as it may
rs we'll the food-surely a wonderful
and a benehcent tree.
Coming back now to the general
subject. we find that the manufacture
ed products Of this wonderful tree are
now In common use throughout the
civilized world. To bring it right close
1t may be that when you go home to-
night you will wipe the mud off your
shoes on door-mat made Of cocoa
fibre. and If you should take nap
before dinner you will lie down, it may
be, on lounge whose stuffiing con-
tains more or less Of the same ma
terial.
THE oil with which you dress your
salad may be cocoanut oil. and for
dessert you may have cocoanut pie.
In the kitchen you might find scrub
bing brushes made OF cocoanut fibre,
and likewise brooms. The uses Of the
cocOanut are various.
For many years, in fact since way
back; cOcOanutS have heen imnorted