The Forest Offers You Pili Nuts

Title

Identifier

Plants About Us

Language

English

Source

The Young Citizen : magazine for young people 3 (8) September 1937

251+

Year

1937

Subject

Nuts

Pili nut

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

September, 198'1 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 251 has left. That is what suits her best of all. Sh€' may have to do a little house cleaning, but the chances are that the furniture suits her very wdl as it is. The nest of dry grass tbat the field mouse made is good enough for her use. When the bumblebee has chosen her den, she gathers some pollen. and a little nectar from"" spring flowers. With this she makes her first loaf of bee-bread. She does not eat it herself, hq.t places it in the nest in her den and lays a few eggs on the loaf. She broods her eggs like a mother bird. covering them over with her body. When the eggs hatch, their mother goes out to fetch much polkn and nectar to mix for their food. When the bee babies grow up. they help take care of thei'r baby sisters. ··All the children of the queen bumblebee arc workers until late in the summer when there arc some diffenmt kinds of 'children that grow up in the den. Some of these different ones are sons who go by the nam€' of drones, and some are daughters who are called young queens. Neither the drones nor the young queens work in their mother's home. The young queen sips what nectar she needs from flowers and she helps herself from the honey she finds in the den. After a while she takes a nap. It is a long one. It lasts from August until April or May. When she is ready for this nap. she goes away quite by herself. She finds a place along a sandy well-drained bank and there digs a tiny den. On the sandy floor of that wee bedworm she lies, cozy and quiet, a little sleeping beauty waiting for the kiss of the spring to waken her and send her humming on her way while she hunts a bigger den in which to bring up her family. Are not insects among the busiest creatures on earth? PLANTS ABOUT US THE FOREST OFFERS YOU PILI NUTS Every Christmas there is present at our tables a very welcome sight,-pili nuts. How we all love them. And how we have nearly broken our teeth trying tb crack them, finally giving it up in favor of the more successful method of ·breaking it between a door"s hinges. What a sad end for the pili nut that has traveled many miles from a far. wet forest to reach your table. The pili nut is one of the natural -products or the Philippines. It is found in the forests in the Bicol region. in Mindoro, Tayabas. and Mindanao. It is a valuable food, either raw or cooked. It contains an oil which is pleasant in taste. It is also rich in protein. a food found in meat. So it is worth all our troubles of C!acking it. The pili nut ma..y also be made into. candy. In regions where the pili grows it can also beuscd as a shade tree. It is a beautiful tree. It grows to a reasonable height and produces leaves all the year round. It is strong, it lives long. and it is seldom uprooted. Pili nuts are in season from the month of May to October. When the ·fruits are to be picked, they are cut off from the branches. Sc.metimes when the tree is low, a bamboo. (Please turn to page 268) September, 1931 fore you joined this Boy Scout affair, you smoked, no? When you became a 'Black Pirate' last year. you were as good as anyone of us in smoking. no?" Nano snapped his fingers contemptuously. "That was when I was not yet a Boy Scout, and as ignorant as any of you are. Now, I know it's not good to smoke. I took the Scout Oath last week, and I promised not to smoke. I will not.'' ""Then you are no longer one of us!'' came the r:asping voice of Max. "You're through, as far as being a Black Pirate is concerned. We can't accept sissies around here!·· Complete silence fell on the group. for each one of them knew the significance of being ousted from the gang. Eagerly. I watched rhe boys. "All right!" Joel stood. and pushed the chair backward with a loud noise. ··All right!" he repeated·. hitching up his trousers. and his voice, louder than before. 'Tm going away from your foolish. dirty 'Black Pirate' gang. Mother has always told me it's not good, and that all of you are bad boys. I used to disregard her advice, but I know it's true now. 'Tm not going to smoke. And furthermore, I'm quitting your gang. Go where you will and do what you like. I'm through with you from now on!" THE YOUNG CITIZEN THIS EARTH OF OURS (Continued from page 150) upwards. These are known as capillary passages and these help water to ascend from below to the roots of plants. In color the soil may be black, gray. brown, or even dull yellow. It may be either clayey and compact or sandy and porous. The fertility of the soil directly affects us. Many people live in places where the soil is fertile because they can make an easier living there. Now let us see what the different kinds of soil are. Soil that remains above the bed rock from which it was formed is called residual soil. Soil that has been carried From the place wh;re it was formed and deposited somewhere else is called transported soil. Volcanic soil is erupted from volcanoes. What kind or kinds of s01l are found in yOur locality? Tell your classmates what experiences you have had with the soil of Antipolo, of rice fields, in your garden or near a river bank. THE FOREST OFFERS ( Contintied {'rom page 151) ladder is used. The nuts are also allowed to drop to the ground as they do when fully ripe. Then the husk is removed from the nuts by soaking them With that, the little boy strode out of the parlor, into the rain, and ran across the street, to take shelter inside the Drug Store there. 263 JOKES Teacher-"lf you would apply for a position what would you put in the body of your letter? Luisa-"I have read in the newspaper that you are in need of a typewriter. I am very glad to apply for th_e position." Moises-''Why are you limping, Cirilo? Is your foot sore?" Cirilo--''No. '' Moises-"\Vhy don't you walk straight?" Cirilo--"Because I stepped on the horse manure of the carabao. '' Pacifico--' 'Why do you have a black eye?" Adriano--' 'Because of that beautiful new classmate of ours.'' Pacifico-"Did she strike you with her wooden shoe?" .Kdriano-"No, while looking at her, I bumped my face. against the wall." in cold water. In about an hour the pulp is removed. The nuts are then dried in the sun. Another method is to allow the husk to rot off by piling the nuts in a shade. Then the pili nuts are gatheied and packed and shipped for export. Some of these finally find their way to our homes.

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