In addition to eighty-three utilities described by Mr. Pereira,
[3] it is in very common use in the Philippines for:
1. Cocoanut cream. The freshly ground fruit, reduced to a pulp and
strained, is consumed in that form or made into cakes with rice. It
makes a delicious and nutritious food. According to Dr. W. J. Gies,
in experiments lately published, [4] its nutritive value is due to
35.4 per cent of oil, about 10 per cent of carbohydrates, and 3 per
cent of protein. The amount of cellulose (fibrous matter) is only 3
per cent, and its digestibility is easy when the mass, by grating,
is reduced to a fine degree of comminution.
2. The "milk" or water is used sparingly as a beverage. It is also
fermented and converted into inferior vinegar.
3. The hard shell is used as fuel. When calcined, it produces a black,
lustrous substance, used for dyeing leather.
4. The same shell, aside from many uses quoted by Pereira, is used
here for every conceivable form of cup, ladle, scoop, and spoon.
5. From the tough midrib of the leaf, strong and beautiful baskets of
many designs are made, also excellent and durable brooms, and from
the part where the midrib coalesces with the petiole pot-cleaning
brushes are made.
6. The roots are sometimes used for chewing, as a substitute for
Areca. They also furnish red dyestuff and with one end finely
subdivided may be used in making toothbrushes.
7. The leaves and midribs, when burned, furnish an ash so rich in
potash that it may be used alone in water as a substitute for soap
or when a powerful detergent is required.
8. The fiber of the husk is used extensively by the natives for
calking boats.
9. The milk is used in the preparation of a native dish of rice,
known as "casi." It is an excellent and highly prized dietary article,
prepared with rice or in combination with chicken or locusts.
10. The oil, melted with resins, is an effective and lasting covering
for anything desired to be protected from the ravages of white ants.
11. The timber is used to bridge streams and bog holes, and the slowly
decaying leaves to fill them up and render them temporarily passable.
12. The fiber is used in cordage and rope making, but to a far less
extent here than in India.
Its further uses are, in general, those current in the Orient. Briefly
summed up, its timber is employed in every form of house construction;
its foliage in making mats, sacks, and thatches; its fruit in curry
and sweetmeats; its oil for medicine, cookery, and illumination;
its various juices in the manufacture of wines, spirits, sugar, and
vinegar; while not to overlook a final and not inconsiderable Filipino
product, the splinters of the midrib are used in making toothpicks.