Afoot and afloat in Burma . to w^atch themen climbing the cocoanut palms in orderto get the nuts. As there are no branchesuntil the top is reached, it is not easy, yousee. A very common way of reaching thetop is to use a strong belt of rope or leather,w^hich is passed round the tree trunk and theclimbers body; and as he steadily workshis way up by the strength of his arms andlegs, he draws the belt up with him, and,leaning his weight against it, has his armsfree for getting a fresh hold higher up foranother pull. There is another way, too, which I haveseen used in tree climbing. This consistsi
Afoot and afloat in Burma . to w^atch themen climbing the cocoanut palms in orderto get the nuts. As there are no branchesuntil the top is reached, it is not easy, yousee. A very common way of reaching thetop is to use a strong belt of rope or leather,w^hich is passed round the tree trunk and theclimbers body; and as he steadily workshis way up by the strength of his arms andlegs, he draws the belt up with him, and,leaning his weight against it, has his armsfree for getting a fresh hold higher up foranother pull. There is another way, too, which I haveseen used in tree climbing. This consistsin driving a number of short pegs, one afterthe other, up opposite sides of the tree, likethe spikes in a telegraph pole, making aseries of small steps. In time the barkgrows over them, so that all that is seen isa chain of convenient little bumps, whichmake it easier for the climber. This methodseems to be used more particularly with acertain tall, smooth tree to which bees muchresort, and which men, of course, are anxious. Making Rope from Cocoanut Fiber Aung Baws wife and daughters use a contrivance like this when spinning thread. (See page 42) Palm Trees for Every Purpose 63 to climb in order to secure the honey andthe wax. Another fruit-bearing palm is the pal-myra, which bears clusters of round nutsabout four or five inches across, and in whichare three or four pods of colorless are rather tasteless, but being juicy andcold, even on the hottest day, they are quiterefreshing. A common name for this fruitis ice fruit. Perhaps more valuable than the fruit isthe juice which is tapped oft from the top ofthe palmyra tree, and from which a verypleasant sugar can be made. But a gooddeal of this juice is allowed to ferment, andthe drinking of it in this condition causesmuch harm. This is what is commonlyknown as toddy, the palm being oftencalled the toddy palm. Toddy is also ob-tained from the date palm. While the cocoanuts and palmyra palmsflourish in districts where th
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