Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 07.djvu/133

LEFT PALM 91 of Guinea, jdelds a rather abundant sap, from which a strongly spirituous wine is obtained. One of the most beautiful and singular of palms is R. tasdegera, an inhabitant of the banks of the Ama- zon. The trunk of the tree is short, from 6 to 10 feet high, but from the summit the leaves rise almost perpendicularly to the height of 40 feet or more. The foot- stalk of these enormous leaves are often 12 or 15 feet long by 4 or 5 inches in diameter. The integument being easily split into straight strips, is made into window-blinds, baskets, etc., by the In- dians. The true "sago" of commerce (see Sago) is derived from various species of the genus Sag us. The tree is small, rarely exceeding 30 feet in height of stem, which consists of a hard shell about 2 inches thick inclosing a mass of spongy pith — the sago. When felled the stem is cut into lengths of 6 or 7 feet, which are split, the better to remove the pith. Washing and straining are the principal features of every process. A single tree, it is said, will yield from 500 to 600 pounds of sago. The bache (Mauritia flexuosa), a native of Guiana, furnishes timber for building dwellings, the leaves thatch for the same, and ma- terial for mats, couches, hammocks, etc.; the pith yields sago; the juice by fermen- tation gives an excellent beverage; the kernels of the fruits are ground into meal and made into bread; and the fiber is converted into cordage and clothing. The Palmyra palm (Borassus flabeUi- f or mis) is one of the most common of its tribe in India. It furnishes the greater part of the palm wine of India. A tree yields about three quarts daily. The liquor is drunk fresh, and will only keep sweet for about three days, when it undergoes fermentation and becomes sour, and is distilled into arrack. Jag- gery is also made from the juice. The young plants when a few inches high are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. In India the leaves are almost universally used for writing upon with an iron sty- lus. The double cocoanut, or sea cocoanut as it has been called, is Lodoicea seychel- larum. The nuts of this tree are often beautifully polished and carved by na- tive workmen, and formed into caskets and other ornaments. The tree, a native of the Seychelle Islands, is very beauti- ful, attaining a height of from 50 to 80 feet, with leaves 20 feet long supported on stalks of equal length. The chief products of the tree are timber and fiber for cordage, and a downy kind of fiber which envelops the young leaves is used for filling mattresses and pillows. PALM The Talipat palm of Ceylon (Corypha umbraculifera) is notable only for the variety of uses to which its leaves are put in Ceylon and other parts of India. They are readily formed into umbrellas and tents; also very much used for the books or colahs of the inhabitants. Many of these alleged to be made of Egyptian papyrus are formed of the leaves of this palm. The tree grows to the height of 100 feet. Licuala peltata is the Chittah-pat of Assam, the leaves of which are extensively used for mak- i-g umbrellas, punkahs, and hats. The stems of L. acutifolia are made into walk- ing sticks, named by Europeans "Penang Lawyers." Copernicia cerifera, a native of northern Brazil, produces an edible fruit; and from the leaves is obtained an inferior vegetable wax used in candle making. Of the American palmetto palm, a native of the Carolinas and Florida, the most important species is the cabbage palmetto {Sabal palmetto). Its prod- ucts are timber and the leaves, the former being exceedingly durable, very porous, and especially valuable for wharf building, as it resists water and is not attacked by the teredo. The palmetto of Europe is Chamserops hu- milis, which inhabits the countries on both shores of the Mediterranean, oc- cupying great tracts. It rarely reaches 10 feet in height, and usually is much less. The leaves are fan-shaped and abound in excellent fiber, with which the Arabs, combining it with camel's hair, make tent covers; in Spain it is made into ropes and sailcloth, and in France into carpets named African haircloth. The French in Algeria make paper and pasteboard of it. The fruit is edible, and is eaten by the Arabs and the in- habitants of Sicily and southern Italy. C. Ritchieana, a native of Scinde and Afghanistan, and C. excelsa, a native of China and Japan, both produce excel- lent fiber. The leaves of Thrmax ar- gentea supply the material called "chip," of which ladies' hats and bonnets of that name are made. The trunks of T. par- viflora, a native of Jamaica, though of slender diameter, are said to be very suitable for piles and marine buildings. The Piritu of Venezuela, the Paripon of Guiana, and the Papunba of the Ama- zon are the local names of one species of palm — GiiUelma speciosa. It pro- duces fruits somewhat triangular in shape, about the size of an apricot, and bright reddish yellow in color. They have a peculiar oily flavor, and are eaten boiled or roasted, when they resemble chestnuts. They are also ground into meal, which is baked in cakes. The