233. _The COCOA-NUT is a woody fruit, produced in nearly all the
countries of hot climates; of oval shape, from three or four, to six or
eight inches in length, covered with a fibrous husk, and lined internally
with a white, firm, and fleshy kernel._
_The tree_ (Cocos nucifera) _which produces the cocoa-nut is a kind of
palm, from forty to sixty feet high. It has, on its summit only, a kind
of leaves, which appear almost like immense feathers, each fourteen or
fifteen feet long, three feet broad, and winged. Of these the upper ones
are erect, the middle ones horizontal, and the lower ones drooping. The
trunk is straight, naked, and marked with the scars of the fallen leaves.
The nuts hang down from the summit of the tree, in clusters of a dozen or
more together._
The external rind of the cocoa-nut has a smooth surface, and is of somewhat
triangular shape. This encloses an extremely fibrous substance of
considerable thickness, which immediately surrounds the nut. The latter has
a thick and hard shell, with three holes at the base, each closed by a
black membrane. The kernel lines the shell; and is sometimes nearly an inch
in thickness, and encloses a considerable quantity of watery liquid, of
whitish colour, which has the name of _milk_.
Food, clothing, and the means of shelter and protection, are all afforded
by the cocoa-nut-tree. The kernels of the _nuts_, which somewhat resemble
the filbert in taste, but are of much firmer consistence, are used as food
in various modes of dressing, and sometimes are cut into pieces and dried.
When pressed in a mill, they yield an oil, which, in some countries, is the
only oil used at table; and which, when fresh, is equal in quality to that
of almonds. It, however, soon becomes rancid, and, in this state, is
principally used by painters. The Indians prepare an oil from cocoa-nuts,
by steeping the kernels in water till they putrefy, and then boiling the
pulp. In this operation the oil rises to the surface, and is skimmed off.
This oil is used for anointing the hair, in cookery, for burning in lamps,
and for various other purposes. The _milk_, or fluid, contained in the
nuts, is an exceedingly cool and agreeable beverage, which, when good,
somewhat resembles the kernel in flavour.
Cocoa-nut-trees flourish best in a sandy soil, and first produce fruit when
six or seven years old; after which each tree yields from fifty to a
hundred nuts annually.
The fibrous coats or _husks_ which envelope the cocoa-nuts, after they have
been soaked for some time in water, become soft. They are then beaten, to
free them from the other substances with which they are intermixed, and
which fall away like saw-dust, the stringy part only being left. This is
spun into long yarns, woven into sail-cloth, and twisted into ropes and
cables, even for large vessels. The cordage thus manufactured is valuable
in several respects, but particularly for the advantages that are derived
from its floating in water. The woody _shells_ of the nut are so hard as to
be capable of receiving a high polish; and they are formed into drinking
cups, and other domestic utensils, which are sometimes expensively mounted
in silver.
On the summit of the cocoa-nut-tree the tender _leaves_, at their first
springing up, are folded over each other, so as somewhat to resemble a
cabbage. These are occasionally eaten in place of culinary greens, and are
a very delicious food; but, as they can only be obtained by the destruction
of the tree that produces them, and which dies in consequence of their
being removed, they are considered too expensive a treat for frequent use.
The larger leaves are employed for the thatching of buildings, and are
wrought into baskets, brooms, mats, sacks, hammocks, and many other useful
articles.
The _trunks_ are made into boats, and sometimes constitute timber for the
construction of houses; and, when their central pith is cleared away, they
form excellent gutters for the conveyance of water. If, whilst growing, the
body of the tree be bored, a white and sweetish liquor exudes from the
wound, which has the name of _toddy_. This is collected in vessels of
earthen-ware, and is a favourite beverage in many countries where the trees
grow. When fresh it is very sweet; in a few hours it becomes somewhat acid,
and, in this state, is peculiarly agreeable; but in the space of
twenty-four hours it is complete vinegar. By distillation this liquor
yields an ardent spirit, which is sometimes called _rack_, or _arrack_; and
is more esteemed than that obtained by distillation from rice or sugar, and
merely fermented and flavoured with the cocoa-nut juice. If boiled with
quick-lime, it thickens into a syrup, which is used by confectioners in the
East Indies, though it is much inferior to syrup produced from the
sugarcane.