The Elbert County tribune. [volume], May 26, 1911, Image 2

About The Elbert County tribune. [volume] (Elbert, Elbert County, Colo.) 18??-1920

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Coconuts
in the
Americas
BY CHARLES MELVILLE BROWN
T has been commonly
remarked that the
uses of the coconut
palm (cocos Nuclfera)
are numerous as the
days of the year.
Found nearly every
where within the trop
ics, almost the sole
dependence for food
of the palralvorous in
habitants of many
I
countries, this king of low tropical
countries furnishes man with food,
drink, medicines, domestic utensils,
materials for boat and house build
lrlg. oil for cooking, lighting, and
lubricating, and Innumerable other
purposes, and is of all the palmaceae
the one that yields the greatest vari
ety of products. Tennant has truly
said that of the cocoanut palm a ship
can be built and laden, too.
De Candolle, in "Origin of Culti
vated Plants,” does not consider the
cocoanut palm a native of the western
hemisphere, but places its original
habitat in the Eastern archipelago,
somewhere in the neighborhood of
Sumatra and Java, and surmises that
nuts floated thence both east and
west; eastward to the islands of the
Pacific and the coast of Central Amer
ica, and westward to Ceylon and the
east, coast of Africa. He places its in
troduction into Brazil, Venezuela and
the West Indies by missionaries about
three centuries ago. De Martius says
that the Portuguese introduced it on
the coast of Guiana about the same
time. The navigators Dampier and
Vancouver found it at the beginning
of the seventeenth century in groves
on the islands of Panama bay, as
well as on Cocos island, 309 miles off
the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. At
that time these islands were unin
habited. Later the cocoanut palm is
reported on the west coast from Mex
ico to Ecuador, and Seemdn reported
having seen the palm both wild and
cultivated on the Isthmus of Panama.
In 152 C Oviedo wrote that the cocoa
nut palm was abundant on the Pa
cific coast in the province of the
Cacique Chiman, now Darien, Panama.
Argument in favor of an American origin, as
stated by De Candolle, is as follows: The trade
winds of the Pacific, to the south and yet more
to the north of the equator, drive floating bodies
from America to Asia, a direction contrary to
that of the general currents. It is known, more
over. from the unexpected arrival of bottles con
taining papers on different coasts, that chance
has much to do with these transports.
His arguments contrary to an American origin
of the cocoanut palm f nd in favor of an Asiatic
are as follows:
First. —A current between the third and fifth
parallel, north latitude, flows from the islands
of the Indian archipelago to the Gulf of Panama.
To the north and south of this are currents
which take the opposite direction, but they origi
nate In regions too cold for the cocoanut, and
do not touch Central America, where it is sup
posed to have been long indigenous.
Second. —The inhabitants of Asiutic islands
were far bolder navigators thun the American
Indians. It is very possible that canoes from
the Asiatic islands, containing provisions of cocoa
nuts. were carried by storms or false maneuvers
to the islands of the west coast of America; the
contrary is highly improbable.
Third. —The area for three centuries has been
much vaster in Asia than in America, and the
difference was yet more considerable before that
epoch, for It Is known that the cocoanut has not
long existed in the east of tropical America.
Fourth.—The inhabitants of the islands of Asia
possess nn Immense number of varieties of the
palm, which indicates a very ancient cultivation.
Blume enumerates eighteen varieties in Java and
adjacent islands, and thirty-nine in the Philippines.
Nothing of a similar nature has been observed
in the Americas.
Fifth. —The uses of the cocoanut are more
varied and more habitual in Asia.
Sixth.—lt Is not probable that the ancient Mexi
cans and inhabitants of Central America would
have neglected to spread the cocoanut in several
directions had it existed among them from a
very remote epoch. The little breadth of the
Isthmus of Panama would have facilitated Its
transportation from one coast to the other and
the species would soon have been established In
the West Indies, ns It has since become natural
ized there since the discovery of America.
Seventh. —If the cocoanut in America dated
from a geological epoch anterior to the Pliocene
•r even Eocene deposits in Europe, it would
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probably have been found on both coastß and
the eastern and western islands of tropical Amer
ica equally.
Eighth.—No ancient data of the existence of
the cocoanut in America have been found, but
its presence in Asia three to four thousand years
ago Is proven by several Sanskrit names.
From these facts the most ancient habitation
in Asia would be in the archipelago and In Amer
ica in the islands west of Panama. Its introduc
tion into Ceylon. Indian and China, De Candolle
states, does not date further back than three
thousand years, but the transport by sea to the
coasts of America and Africa took place perhaps
in a more remote epoch, although posterior to
those epochs when the geographical nnd physical
conditions were different from those of our day
In early botantcal works cocoanuts nre men
tioned. being derived from an East Indian word,
eoc or cocuc, used to indicate the fruit of the
cocos Nuclfera. or cocoanut of a fancied resem
blance of the three circular depressions to the
face of a monkey, whose conversational powers
are limited to uttering a sound like "coco.”
At the present day, on the islands of the T3ny
of Panama, such as Coiba, Coibita, Jicaron, Mon
tuosa, Ladrones. and along the southwestern coast
of Chiriqui In Panama, and Punta Burica and
Golfo Dulce In Costa Rica, are found dense groves
of wild cocoanut palms, the fallen nuts piled up
around their base, In many instances to a depth
of two and three feet, washed back and forth
by the swirl of the great tides of these coasts
until hurled against some jagged rock tho pro
tecting husk is torn away nnd the tender kernel
becomes the prey of the myriads of soldier crabs
patrolling these great sandy stretches at low
tide. Others nre carried by swift currents to
nearby coasts, where, thrown high on the beach
at flood tide, they may germinate and take root;
others come as floating manna and becalmed
pearl-flahlng crews, supplying at once food and
drink to the divers whom the tides carry far
from their base of supplies—an analogy to the
aphorism of the 111-wind.
Accepting De Candolle’s theory as correct, this
same process of distribution from the low-lying
coasts of the eastern archipelago to these Islpnds
of the Bay of Panama, mentioned by Dampier
nnd Vancouver In their explorings, might have
been seen taking place a thousand years before
the Christian era, or by Columbus’ successors
in the Dukedom of Veraguas, off which coast
they lie; thence carried by* human agency to
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farther shores, north into Central
America and Mexico, south into what
is now Colombia and Ecuador, and
across the Isthmus of Panama to the
Mosquito coast, Venezuela and the
West Indies, there to meet with those
brought over from Africa by either
ocean currents or early explorers.
In the Americas today the cocoanut
is an important product of Mexico,
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, San
Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colom
bia; Ecuador as far south as Guaya
quil, Venezuela, Guiana and Brazil;
and in the West Indies. Cuba. Santo
Domingo. Haiti, Bahamas, Jamaica
and Trinidad. Cocoanuts are being
planted more extensively every year
in southern Florida, and within a few
years will doubtless constitute an im
portant product of that state. Pacific
America sends cocoanuts to the San
Francisco market from the Hawaiian
islands, while copra, or the dried
kernel, and oil expressed therefrom,
reach this market from the orient.
Along the coast of Brazil there are
wild cocoanut groves over 200 miles
long, and millions of nuts are shipped annually
from this country to the United States and
Europe. Mexico reduces much of its product to
oil and ships to the United States in this form,
although a good trade In raw nuts is maintained.
Of those exported from Cuba, Honduras, Nica
ragua, Panama and Jamaica, the greater part is in
the raw state.
Trinidad reduces much of its product to copra,
for Europe, and oil, principally for the local
consumption of its* large East Indian population.
In 1908 the approximate estimate of area un
der cultivation in the cocoanut palm in all parts
of the world was 3,140,000 acres.
Of this vast area there are probably 220,000,000
palms bearing fully 7,000,0b0,000 nuts annually,
the majority of which are consumed for food pur
poses where produced.
The cocoanut palm flourishes near the equator
nnd as far north ns 80 degrees, especially along
low coasts, although many are found in India
at an elevation of 3,000 feet, and cases are
known where the palm does well at an elevation
of 4,600 feet above the sea.
As a rule a cocoanut tree throws out a spathe
and a leaf every month, each flowering spikt*
yielding from 10 to 25 ripened nuts. The product
of a healthy tree properly tended may be from
50 to 120 and even 250 nuts annually.
The principal products of the cocoanut palm
are raw nuts, from which the desiccated meat
is made; copra, or the dried kernel, from which
in turn oil Is expressed; poonac, or the residue
after extracting the oil, and coir. >
The uses of these products, as well as of every
portion of tho palm Itself, are almost Innumerable.
Twenty-eight per cent, of all the cocoanuts
raised in the world are grown In the Americas,
where, however, they are scattered over a much
greater area for each palm than Is the case in
the orient, thereby making the work of collecting
and shipping more difficult and expensive. Due
principally to this fact, the vast stretches of
cocoanut groves of Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico
and the western coast of Central America have
never been extensively exploited for cocoanuts.
Increasing demand, higher prices than In former
years, and the approaching completion of the
Panama canal, which means new markets brought
about by improved transportation facilities, are
rapidly bringing these fields within the radius of
profitable exploitation, in addition to stimulating
the scientific culture of this palm throughout troj>
leal America
ISRAEL’S
PENITENCE
SwUj Sckool Lcsms far 4, 191!
Spatially Arranged far This Papar
LESSON TEXT—Hoses 14.
MEMORY VERSES—4-4.
GOLDEN TEXT- I “Thou Art a God.
Raady to Pardon, Gracious and Merciful,
Slow to Anger."—Nah. t:l7.
TIME— Hosea began to prophesy toward
tha close of the reign of Jeroboam (I. in
Israel, whose reign closed B. C. 792
(Beecher), or 763 (Hastings). His propheUc
life extended Into the days of Hezeklah,
king of Judah, who came to the throne
(Beecher). B. C. 723 (Hastings). 727.
PLACE—Hosea was a prophet of the
northern kingdom.
PROPHETS—Isaiah and Mtcah; perhaps
Amos.
What w-as the iniquity of Israel
from which Hosea exhorted her to re
turn unto the Lord? The degradation
of religion into a sensual and revolt
ing worship of idols, and the foolish
and weakening separation from tbs
Southern Kingdom. The period was
one of frightful violence and confu
sion; all ties of social life were
loosened; Immorality, Irrellgion, su
perstition, panic and despair contrib
uted to the common misery and ruin;
It hardly needed prophetic Insight to
foresee the inevitable end in the total
dissolution of the state.
Their reliance upon Assyria for sal
vation instead of upon their
reliance upon Egypt, the land of
horses; their reliance upon idols, the
work of their own hands. All the in
ner woes of the nation sprung from
its idolatry, and all its woes from
without sprung from the mischievous
foreign alliances against which the
prophets continually protested. Note
that this Is more than a confession; it
Is a promise a vow of
total abstinence from these sins.
God promises to the repentant na
tion, promises for the past, forgive
ness. I will heal their backsliding,
that horrible disease of apostasy from
the Father’s love; for the present,
love; I will love them freely, “without
money and without price,” for what
price could pay for this inestimable
blessing? for the future, ever-in
creasing progress and blessedness;
God will be to his restored people an
enriching, stimulating, reviving dew,
causing them to throw out new
branches, strike new roots deeper into
the soil, blossom in beauty and fra
grance, and bring forth fruit in abun
dance.
What is the significance of the
three comparisons used of the re
stored people? 1. They are to be like
the lily, in its purity and beauty. 2.
They are to be like Lebanon, rooted
deep in the earth, with its foothills
stretching forth like roots; or perhaps
the reference Is to the firmly rooted
cedars of Lebanon; at any rate the
comparison signifies strength, which
is to be added to beauty. 3. They are
to be like the olive tree, which is not
lovely as the lily but is gnarled and
ugly; nor strong and imposing like
the mountain and its great cedars, but
feeble and Insignificant to the eye;
but it is green when other trees are
bare, and It brings forth abundance of
rich fruit.
The confident statement (whether
made by Jehovah, or, as some com
mentators and both authorized and re
vised versions hold, by Ephraim him
self) that Ephraim (that is, Israel, the
leading tribe being put for the entire
Northern Kingdom) has nothing more
to do with idols; he is through with
them; they are laid away with his un
happy past. This actually happened
after the exile; the returned Jews had
had enough of idolatry, and never
again lapsed into that sin.
Hosea certainly did not mean, as he
is so often misunderstood to mean,
that Israel was so firmly fixed in idol
atry that the nation could never be
moved from that Iniquity. The proph
et was addressing Judah, the South
ern Kingdom, and bidding her hold
aloof from her idolatrous neighbor
and let him alone, lest she herself
contract the foul disease.
The sum of wisdom, according to
Hosea, is that wisdom consists of
three things: Understanding, know
ing the things that Hosea had been
setting forth, namely, God’B dealings
with his children. Understanding that
God’s ways are always right, straight,
alike when they spread themselves
out In an unbroken level for the pious,
and when they oppose themselves In
rocky stumbling-blocks to the un
godly.
Hosea began his warnings at the
point where we feel the most pride.
Our nation is proud of its wealth and
power, but these two things lead to
worldiness, which is our greatest
peril.
What would be the substance of
Hoaea’s message to the nation and to
each one of us? “Take with you
words, and return unto the Lord.” Our
sins must be acknowledged, humbly
before God and frankly before every
one who should hear the confession
for any reason. Then we are simply,
In Christ’s strength, to obey Sam
Jones’ oft-repeated injunction, “Quit
your meanness!" We are to "cease
to do evil, learn to do well."
There is a story of an ancient king
who lighted a lamp and had It hung In
his palace; he then sent heralds forth
to bring into his presence every crimi
nal and rebel, that they might obtain
pardon. Those that came while the
lamp was burning were set free; but
those that delayed till the lamp had
gone out, or altogether neglected the
Invitation, met with a terrible death.
Unlike this, God forever holds forth
his offer of mercy, and his loving
heart always yearns after the sinner;
but with each wilful delay we harden
our hearts till at last they are fixed
In the ways of sin.
c
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> •J/teLL AND *iU3H
<ofa
I Evaporatedl
Milk
1 is the handiest If
I thing in the pan- I
I try. It is pure and 11
■ always ready to I
1 use. if
■ There is no I
I waste —use as II
1 much or as little II
I as you need, and I]
i the rest keeps I
I longer than fresh I
I milk. Sj
8 Gives fine results in 1 j
■ all cooking 1
M Tell your grocer to Ml
I send Libby’s Milk Mi
I
WXmfm
NATURAL EVIDENCE.
Adelaide —-Why, Cornelia, your halF
Is all mussed up.
Cornelia—Yes, dear; you—you see,
George stole up and snatched a dozen
kisses before I could scream.
Adelaide —But why don’t you step
in front of the mirror and rearrange
your hair?
Cornelia —Gracious! Why, I wouldn’t
do it for the world. Why, none of the
girls wofild believe he kissed me.
Different.
"It is the little tilings in this world
that cause us the most trouble.”
“Not in my business,” replied thfc
shoe clerk; "it’s the big things, the
owners of which want to put into lit
tle shoes.”
Many a man succeeds because he’s
a good guesser.
One Cook
May make a cake ‘‘fit for
the Queen,” while another
only succeeds in making a
“pretty good cake” from the
same materials.
It’s a matter of skill I
People appreciate, who
have once tasted.
Post
Toasties
A delicious food made of
White Com—flaked and
toasted to a delicate, crisp
brown—to the “Queen’s
taste.”
Post Toasties are served
direct from the package with
cream or milk, and sugar if
desired —
A breakfast favorite!
“The Memory Lingers”
Postum Cereal Company, 1
Battle Creek, Mich.