. Agricultural news. Agriculture -- West Indies; Plant diseases -- West Indies. Vol. IV. No. 76. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 71 SCIENCE NOTES. structure and Germination of the Cocoa-nut. In the accompanying illustrations fig. .3 shows the structure of the ripe cocoa-nut. S. is the lower part of the axis forming the stem, and A. is the upper end of the axis with scars of male flowers. The fruit of the cocoa-nut palm (Cocos miciftm) is a large, one-seeded drupe. The outer shell, made up of the epicarp (Epi.) and mesocarp (]\[es.), is of a fibrous texture and yields the fibre or coir of commerce. The
. Agricultural news. Agriculture -- West Indies; Plant diseases -- West Indies. Vol. IV. No. 76. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 71 SCIENCE NOTES. structure and Germination of the Cocoa-nut. In the accompanying illustrations fig. .3 shows the structure of the ripe cocoa-nut. S. is the lower part of the axis forming the stem, and A. is the upper end of the axis with scars of male flowers. The fruit of the cocoa-nut palm (Cocos miciftm) is a large, one-seeded drupe. The outer shell, made up of the epicarp (Epi.) and mesocarp (]\[es.), is of a fibrous texture and yields the fibre or coir of commerce. The next layer is the hard, bony 'shell.' This is the endocarp (End.). It has three marks or 'eyes' (K.), which correspond to the three loculi of the ovary. Through one of these the young plant pushes its way when the seed germinates. The cavity of this inner shell is occupied by the seed, which consists of a seed coat or testa (T.), the thin, brown membrane l)etween the ' meat' and the inner shell, covering a large, hollow layer of solid albumen (Alb.) termed endo- sperm. The hollow space is partly filled with an unsolidified commonly known as ' milk.' In the endosperm, beneath one of the marks (the softest) at the base of the nut, is situated the embryo. The shoots burst through the outer shell as shown in fig. 4. This figure shows the germinating cocoa-nut at the end of. Mes -End Fiu. 3. Structure of the Coo'o.\-nut. x 1 [From Bulletin Torrey Botanical Ch(ll^^ Messrs. J. E. Kirkwood and Wm. .7. Gies state, ill their paper on ' Chemical studies of. the Cocoa-nut,' published in the Bulletin Torre;/ Botanical Cluh, from which the accompanying illustrations are taken : ' The thick husk is remarkably adapted to the preservation of the seed whilst the nut is tossed about by the waves until it reaches some shore, it may be, far distant from that on which it grew. While immature the nut is without the solid , but is filled with a milky fiuid. As it ripens, however,
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