In the
Malayan region it affords nearly all that is required by the
inhabitants. The value of its fruit as food, and the delicious beverage
which it yields, are well known. The fibrous rind is not less useful; it
is manufactured into a kind of cordage, mats and floor-cloths. An
excellent oil is obtained from the kernel by compression. The hard
covering of the stem is converted into drums and used in the
construction of huts; the lower part is so hard as to take on a
beautiful polish [83] when it resembles agate. Finally the unexpanded
terminal bud is a delicate article of food. Many other uses could be
mentioned, but these may suffice to indicate how closely the life of the
inhabitants is bound up with the culture of this palm, and how sharply,
in consequence, its qualities must have been watched by early man. Any
divergence from the ordinary type must have been noted; those which were
injurious must have been rejected, but the useful ones must have been
appreciated and propagated. In a word any degree of variability afforded
by nature must have been noticed and cultivated.
More than fifty different sorts of the coconut are described from the
Indian shores and islands, with distinct local and botanical names.
Miquel, who was one of the best systematists of tropical plants, of the
last century, described a large number of them, and since, more have
been added.
Pages:
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100