Mary Lou Snyder, age 13, of Glendale, Ariz., for her question:
WHERE DO COCONUTS GROW?
Coconuts grow on graceful coconut palm trees that are 40 to 100 feet tall. The trees are probably native to Southeast Asia and the islands of Melanesia in the Pacific, but man has introduced them to all of the tropical and subtropical parts of the world.
Leading coconut growing areas in the world, in order of their importance, are the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
The coconut is one of the world's most useful trees. People in the tropics build houses and bridges from its wood. They use whole leaves to make thatch roofs and strips of leaves to make hats, mats and baskets. They make a sweet drink called toddy or tuba from the sap of the trees' blossoms. They also use this sap to make sugar, vinegar and an alcoholic beverage. The tree's seed also produces coconut meat and a liquid called coconut milk.
The coconut is the fruit of the coconut palm. Clusters of these large round fruits grow among the leaves. Each coconut has a smooth, light colored rind.
Under the rind is a one to two inch husk of reddish brown fibers. The husk and rind surround a brown woody shell that has three soft spots called eyes at one end. The rind and husk are usually cut away before the coconuts are marketed.
Inside the shell is a ball of crisp, white, sweet tasting coconut meat covered by coconut milk. The meaty part measures from eight to 12 inches long and from six to 10 inches across.
A well tended coconut palm tree produces about 100 coconuts each year. Each fruit takes a year to ripen. Ripe coconuts fall from the tree.
The solid, dried coconut meat is called copra. Copra contains a valuable oil that is used for cooking and to make margarine and soap.
Tropical lands produce millions of tons of copra each year. About 6,000 medium sized coconuts make one ton of copra.
To make copra, coconuts are split open and dried in the sun or in ovens. Some coconuts are dried by smoking.
Throughout the world people enjoy eating crisp, juicy chunks of frech coconut meat. Shredded and dried coconut meat adds a distinctive flavor and texture to candy bars and other favorite foods.
People in tropical lands also use the coconut husk. They weave its short stiff fibers, which are called coir, into mats, ropes and brooms.
To grow a new coconut palm tree, a coconut is half buried in a horizontal position. Within six months, a single leaf sprouts from one of the eyes and pushes through the husk.
The young tree can then be transplanted after one to four years. It will bear fruit in seven or eight years.
Coconut palms need much water and a temperature of at least 72 degrees Fahrenheit most of the year.