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Indian arts and manufactures
140
lnd£an Jlrts and Manufactures. No. II. ~ Ttt~ PAz.~s o1~ TODDY TI~E~. The most extensively useful tree in India, and probably in tile world, is the palm tree. In India I have only observed four species. 1st. the cocos nucifcra, or cocoa-nut tree, which is common all along the western coast, neat- the sea, as far north as Surat~some are found even more to tile northward. ~ndly. tile bonassus jlabell'~ormis, which the natives call tile " t a r , " is also in great numbers as far up as Cutch; I have myselfseen it 1S0 miles from the sea; but I believe it is to be found at a much greater distance. $dly. thephwnix dac. tylifera, or date palm, is common all the way up the coast from Cape Cormorin to Cuteh, and is found several miles inland. 4thly. the areca, which is cultivated only ou account of the nut, is found in gar. dens in Bombay, Baroda, &c. &c. Every part of the cocoa-nut tree is used for some purpose or other. Ttle nut is well known, and is not only an indispensable ingredient in every article of native cookery, curries, pilaws, &c.: but yields by expression (when dried,) an oil which is superior to linseed oil for burning, both as having less smell, antl producing in the combustion no visible smoke. The natives also anoint tbemseves all over with it. The shells of tile cocoa-nut, when bm'nt to charcoal and pounded, are used in paint, like lamp-black in England. The hard, or inner shell of the nut, forms their drinking cups, as well as a material pat't of their smoaking apparatus: half full of water, with two hollow bamboos fitted into a~ many holes bored in it, and an earthen ,, chilum" at the top full of tobacco, it forms t h e i r " hukka," a companion which no native would willingly be without. Tile outer shell cousists of a stringy substance called " colt," pronounced " kyar." It is equal to horse hair tbr stuffing mattresses, pillows, &e., and when formed into ropes is in some respects equal, and in others superior to hempen cordage, being much lighter, more elastic, and not so likely to be damaged by wet. "File leaves of this, as well as of the '~ tar" tree, when dried and platted~ are called " r a j a h , " and are used for laying under the thatch of houses: by which a much smaller quantity of grass will suffice. They are sometimes used without grass, but then require to be renewed annually. The body of the tree is of much service, when hollowed out, as a course to conduct water across a road, or "nulla" (the dry bed of a rivulet, o," mountain torrent,) [br the purpose of irrigating lands at a distance from the well, or tank, from whence tile water is drawn. But to the owner of tile property the most valuable part of tile palm tree is the toddy. "File best and sweetest is extracted from the date palm; the cocoa-nut tree yields tile next best, which, * The great distance of the writer of these valuable papers fl'om England,will account for his communications being so "far between." No. 1 appeared in our 14th vol. p. 387. We need not say that au early confirmation of the series will be most acceptable..--Edih~rMech.Jlago
The Palm or Toddy Tree.
141
however~ as well as that obtained from the " tar," or fan-leaf palm~ (as I believe it is called~) is more abundant than the tbrmer; it is never taken fi'mu the areca. This liquor is thus obtained. A t sunset, a man of the Bundarree caste of Hindoos mounts the tree with two or three earthen pots, called." chatty, '~ capable, of containing about a gallon each, tied to his waist, and a large knife, shaped like a sickle, in his hand. He is assisted in his mounting by two circular pieces of rope9 large enough to extend round (when doubled) twothirds of the circumference of the tre% one of them being attached to his hand, and the other to his feet, by which means he ascends the tree without the assistance of his knees. Some of these trees, I should guess, are above 100 feet in height; and one man has twice daily to ascend and descend some fourteen or fifteen~ or even more of them. He cuts of[" one of the leaves of the tree when the stalk is about two inches in diameter, and ties on one of these chatty pots. I f the leaf has before been cut off for the extraction of the toddy: he only removes half an inch from the end of the stalk, whence the toddy again exudes. After haxing thus fixed his pots, sometimes three or tour on one tree, he descends the tree~ and mounts as many more as may be necessary. In the morning, at daybreak, he returns to the trees~ takes down the pots~ which are half full of liquor, and places others in their stead. This liquor, whiclb when fi'esh from the tree~ is called " n e e r a , ~ is as transparent as water~ and of a pleasant~ sweet taste; but immediately tl~e sun rises~ it begins to ferment, after which it becomes of a milky colour 9 tart, and sourish---it is then termed "taree~" whence our corruption~ toddy. The fermentation is soon a¢ its height, and in that state it is used by our bakers as a substitute for yest to raise the dough. A great deal of the taree is drank by natives, and is of an intoxicatin~ quality; but by far the greater/)or ~ finn is made into vinegar, or distilled into arrack. Fhe European soldiers, and even warrant officers, who are used to it, prefer arrack to brandy or rum, though it is not relished by Europeans on their first arrival. Besides arrack, there is another species of distilled liquor~ called " m o w r a h , " which is made from the flowers of a tree of the same nam% which grows to about the size of a beech tree. As I have not had an opportunity of examining it, I do not know to what class it belongs, or what its English or Linnman name may be. '['he flowers, when dried, have much the appearance of a fig~ but are only about the size of a raisin; and their taste is somewhat like the latter, ~vith a bitter flavour exactly like hops; and I have no doubt that when we shall have proceeded to so high a degree of refinement in this country as to brew our own "Hodgson~" that they will fully answer every purpose of the latter. ~BNGEIN.
Ooozeral~ Oct. ~8~ 1830. ~Mech. Mag.
lnd£an Jlrts and Manufactures. No. II. ~ Ttt~ PAz.~s o1~ TODDY TI~E~. The most extensively useful tree in India, and probably in tile world, is the palm tree. In India I have only observed four species. 1st. the cocos nucifcra, or cocoa-nut tree, which is common all along the western coast, neat- the sea, as far north as Surat~some are found even more to tile northward. ~ndly. tile bonassus jlabell'~ormis, which the natives call tile " t a r , " is also in great numbers as far up as Cutch; I have myselfseen it 1S0 miles from the sea; but I believe it is to be found at a much greater distance. $dly. thephwnix dac. tylifera, or date palm, is common all the way up the coast from Cape Cormorin to Cuteh, and is found several miles inland. 4thly. the areca, which is cultivated only ou account of the nut, is found in gar. dens in Bombay, Baroda, &c. &c. Every part of the cocoa-nut tree is used for some purpose or other. Ttle nut is well known, and is not only an indispensable ingredient in every article of native cookery, curries, pilaws, &c.: but yields by expression (when dried,) an oil which is superior to linseed oil for burning, both as having less smell, antl producing in the combustion no visible smoke. The natives also anoint tbemseves all over with it. The shells of tile cocoa-nut, when bm'nt to charcoal and pounded, are used in paint, like lamp-black in England. The hard, or inner shell of the nut, forms their drinking cups, as well as a material pat't of their smoaking apparatus: half full of water, with two hollow bamboos fitted into a~ many holes bored in it, and an earthen ,, chilum" at the top full of tobacco, it forms t h e i r " hukka," a companion which no native would willingly be without. Tile outer shell cousists of a stringy substance called " colt," pronounced " kyar." It is equal to horse hair tbr stuffing mattresses, pillows, &e., and when formed into ropes is in some respects equal, and in others superior to hempen cordage, being much lighter, more elastic, and not so likely to be damaged by wet. "File leaves of this, as well as of the '~ tar" tree, when dried and platted~ are called " r a j a h , " and are used for laying under the thatch of houses: by which a much smaller quantity of grass will suffice. They are sometimes used without grass, but then require to be renewed annually. The body of the tree is of much service, when hollowed out, as a course to conduct water across a road, or "nulla" (the dry bed of a rivulet, o," mountain torrent,) [br the purpose of irrigating lands at a distance from the well, or tank, from whence tile water is drawn. But to the owner of tile property the most valuable part of tile palm tree is the toddy. "File best and sweetest is extracted from the date palm; the cocoa-nut tree yields tile next best, which, * The great distance of the writer of these valuable papers fl'om England,will account for his communications being so "far between." No. 1 appeared in our 14th vol. p. 387. We need not say that au early confirmation of the series will be most acceptable..--Edih~rMech.Jlago
The Palm or Toddy Tree.
141
however~ as well as that obtained from the " tar," or fan-leaf palm~ (as I believe it is called~) is more abundant than the tbrmer; it is never taken fi'mu the areca. This liquor is thus obtained. A t sunset, a man of the Bundarree caste of Hindoos mounts the tree with two or three earthen pots, called." chatty, '~ capable, of containing about a gallon each, tied to his waist, and a large knife, shaped like a sickle, in his hand. He is assisted in his mounting by two circular pieces of rope9 large enough to extend round (when doubled) twothirds of the circumference of the tre% one of them being attached to his hand, and the other to his feet, by which means he ascends the tree without the assistance of his knees. Some of these trees, I should guess, are above 100 feet in height; and one man has twice daily to ascend and descend some fourteen or fifteen~ or even more of them. He cuts of[" one of the leaves of the tree when the stalk is about two inches in diameter, and ties on one of these chatty pots. I f the leaf has before been cut off for the extraction of the toddy: he only removes half an inch from the end of the stalk, whence the toddy again exudes. After haxing thus fixed his pots, sometimes three or tour on one tree, he descends the tree~ and mounts as many more as may be necessary. In the morning, at daybreak, he returns to the trees~ takes down the pots~ which are half full of liquor, and places others in their stead. This liquor, whiclb when fi'esh from the tree~ is called " n e e r a , ~ is as transparent as water~ and of a pleasant~ sweet taste; but immediately tl~e sun rises~ it begins to ferment, after which it becomes of a milky colour 9 tart, and sourish---it is then termed "taree~" whence our corruption~ toddy. The fermentation is soon a¢ its height, and in that state it is used by our bakers as a substitute for yest to raise the dough. A great deal of the taree is drank by natives, and is of an intoxicatin~ quality; but by far the greater/)or ~ finn is made into vinegar, or distilled into arrack. Fhe European soldiers, and even warrant officers, who are used to it, prefer arrack to brandy or rum, though it is not relished by Europeans on their first arrival. Besides arrack, there is another species of distilled liquor~ called " m o w r a h , " which is made from the flowers of a tree of the same nam% which grows to about the size of a beech tree. As I have not had an opportunity of examining it, I do not know to what class it belongs, or what its English or Linnman name may be. '['he flowers, when dried, have much the appearance of a fig~ but are only about the size of a raisin; and their taste is somewhat like the latter, ~vith a bitter flavour exactly like hops; and I have no doubt that when we shall have proceeded to so high a degree of refinement in this country as to brew our own "Hodgson~" that they will fully answer every purpose of the latter. ~BNGEIN.
Ooozeral~ Oct. ~8~ 1830. ~Mech. Mag.