Of all the gifts which Providence has bestowed on the oriental world,
the cocoa-tree is the one most deserving of notice. The blessings which
are conveyed to man, by this single production of nature, are
incalculable. It grows in a stately column, from thirty to fifty feet in
hight, crowned by a verdant capital of waving branches, covered with
long spiral leaves: under this foliage, bunches of blossoms, clusters of
green fruit, and others arrived at maturity, appear in mingled beauty.
The trunk, though porous, furnishes beams and rafters for the
habitations; and the leaves, when platted together, make an excellent
thatch, as well as common umbrellas, coarse mats for the floor, and
brooms; while their finest fibers are woven into very beautiful mats for
the rich. The covering of the young fruit is extremely curious,
resembling a piece of thick cloth, in a conical form, as close and firm
as if it came from the loom; it expands after the fruit has burst
through its inclosure, and then appears of a coarser texture. The nuts
contain a delicious milk, and a kernel sweet as the almond: this, when
dried, affords abundance of oil; and when that is expressed, the
remainder answers to feed cattle and poultry, and make a good manure.
The shell of the nut furnishes cups, ladles, and other domestic
utensils; while the husk which incloses it is of the utmost importance:
it is manufactured into ropes, and cordage of every kind, from the
smallest twine to the largest cables, which are far more durable than
those of hemp. In the Nicobar islands, the natives build their vessels,
make the sails and cordage, supply them with provisions and necessaries,
and provide a cargo of arrack, vinegar, oil, jaggree or coarse sugar,
cocoa-nuts, coir, cordage, black paint, and several inferior articles,
for foreign markets, entirely from this tree.
Many of the trees are not permitted to bear fruit; but the embryo bud,
from which the blossoms and nuts would spring, is tied up to prevent its
expansion; and a small incision being then made at the end, a cool
pleasant liquor, called _tarre_, or toddy, the palm-wine of the poets,
oozes out in gentle drops.