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Show Tf" vlB or ilvcs n,onR the arm. ,d lorws civilian populations or coconut shell char is a mt .U component among' the materials mater-ials jwod in the manufacture of Ba9 masks. b WJicn we consider the Krcat number of useful things that come fiom the coconut palm and its fascinating fas-cinating and romantic beauty there is little wonder what among cor tain peoples the tree and its fruit are objects of veneration and even worship. In the annual gathering of billions bil-lions of coconuts, armies of persons per-sons are given work and sustenance. susten-ance. The milk of the coconut not only is drunk by those who gather them, but it Is sent to the far corners cor-ners of the earth. The meat of the nut in dried form produces oil that is used in the manufacture of butter, but-ter, soap, confectionery, perfumes, candles, cosmetics, and glycerine! After the oil has been taken from the pulp, the residue provides food for cattle, sheep, swine, and poultry. KNOWYOUR vjy NEIGHBOR TiiK ruommors palm s the s,liP "cars shore, what 'veler to the tropics has not gaz-'' gaz-'' onrapturodly at the sight of !l coconut palm, standing in clus-1 clus-1 or singly, as sturdy sentl-V0f sentl-V0f picturesque loneliness? Few "''..lize they are catching first 0f the tree of which it has jfln slid: "No other renders a ore signal service or has a hlgh-'V hlgh-'V commercial value." The coconut palm not only sup-u,s sup-u,s ma" witn food' drink, shelter shel-ter and clothing, but also with coconut co-conut shell char, so necessary in ine shell is made into combs, spoons, drinking bowls, linoleum and other useful articles, while its outer fibre is used to make felt. The stem goes into furniture and lumber for houses and boats. The tree's leaves are used for roofs, brooms, mats, baskets and fodder for cattle. The unripe husk is made into preserves, the young leaves into pickle, and early shoots serve as a vegetable. When the tree is felled, the juice in the stump may be made into toddy, wine, or yeast. Vinegar, gum, and' even cement are obtained from this marvelous tree. The coconut palm grows best by or near the sea, in lands of abundant abun-dant rains and ample moisture. Millions of them grow wild and flourish on the coastal plains of Mexico, of the Central American Republics, and all the way to Ecuador Ecua-dor on the Pacific and to central Brazil on the Atlantic, while many of the Caribbean islands are also natural producers of coconut palms. The tree is of rather rapid growth and attains a height of 75 to 100 feet. Its slenderness and absence ab-sence of limbs has a tendency to make it seem even taller. In most countries the tree begins to bear seven or eight years after planting, and once bearing, the palm may live and be productive for three-quarters three-quarters of a century. One of the curious facts is that the tree indicates indi-cates its age by rings around the trunk as growth proceeds the lower leaves fall, leaving a ring or scar, with two such rings representing repre-senting a year of growth. The top of the coconut palm forms a cluster of fifteen to thirty thir-ty luxuriant leaves fifteen or more feet in length and very lace-like in appearance. It is under these leaves, close to the trunk, that the tasty coconut gTows in clusters. Science continues to find new uses to which the co'conut palm can be put, but man cannot improve upon the grandeur which Nature bestowed upon it nor the beauty of ' its setting. |