Suckers, which sprout from the roots of mature plants, are set out as needed, either to make new groves or to replace the old stalks, which are cut down after bearing. Both bud and fruit are eaten. The latter are cut on the stem while still green, and are hung in the house to ripen, in order to protect them from bats and fruit-feeding birds. The coconut (_niog_) is not raised in groves, as in the Christianized districts, but in many villages every house has two or three trees towering above it. Even the interior mountain settlements, like Lingey, Ba-ay, and Likuan, are hidden beneath these trees, thus incidentally disposing of the fable that "the coconut tree will not grow out of sight of the sea." Young trees have to be protected by fences during the first two or three years of growth, or they will be uprooted by the pigs, but from that time on they require little or no care. They are not tapped for sap, as is customary in most parts of the Philippines, but notches are cut in the tree trunks in order to supply foothold for the fruit gatherer. The nuts are cut off with a knife as soon as ripe, else they may fall and cause death or injury to people below. No other fruit serves the people in so many ways. The juice is relished as a drink, the meat as a food, the oil as a food and hair dressing; the shells serve as dishes and cups, or are carved into ladles, while the fibrous covering of the nut is converted into foot wipers, thread brushes, and the like. The betel-nut, _bwa_ (_Areca catechu_ L.), is also found in some villages, particularly in the mountains. It is a tall, slender palm which yields the nut so prized throughout the Islands for chewing. Mango-treees, _mangga_ (_Mangifera indica_ L.) appear here and there in valleys and on mountain sides, where the seeds have doubtless been carried by birds or travelers, but considerable groves are found in many districts. The fruit is picked before it is ripe, and is eaten as it becomes mellow. Other trees and shrubs which are occasionally planted are: _Atis_ (_Anona squamosa_ L., an American plant) prized both for its fruit and bark--the latter being used in rope-making. _Atatawa_ (_Jathropha multifida_ L.). Also found in a wild state. The fruit is used as a purgative. The _Jathropha curcas_ L. is also used. _Daligan_ (_Averrhoa carambola_ L.) or Coromandel gooseberry. The fruit is eaten without cooking. _Lanka_ (_Artocarpus integrifola_ L.). Jackfruit. _Maling-kapas_ or _kapas to insit_ (_Ceiba pantadra_ Gaertn.), also known by the Ilocano as _kapas sanglay_. This so-called "Chinese cotton" is a small tree with few, but perfectly straight, branches, which radiate from the trunk in horizontal lines. It produces elliptical pods which burst open when ripe, exposing a silky white cotton. The fiber is too short for spinning, but is used as tinder and as stuffing for pillows.