^ATT. nORTUS JAMA IC EN SIS. 263 



'fcandvy ; it hurtis slowi^", hut the coals which result from its combustion are very strong, 

 and produce a great (leat. 



T)ie Arahs strip the bark and fibrous parts from the yonijg date-trees, and eat the 

 substance, which is in the centre ;. it -is ver}' nourishing and has a sweet taste, and is 

 known by the name of the marrow of the date-trse. T-hey eat also the leaves, when 

 they are young and tendtf, wiih lemon juice; the old ones are laid out to drv, ar.d 

 are employed for making mats andotlier works (ff the same kind, which are much used, 

 and witii wi>ieli thty carry on a considerable trade in- the interior pirts of the country. 

 From the sides of the stumps of the branches v/hich have been left arise a great number 

 of delicate filaments, of which they iTiake;'j-opes; :i!>i whirhn^ight serve to fabricate 

 cloth. 



Of the fresh dates and sugar, says H'assefquist, cho r.g- ptians make- a conserve, 

 wiiich has a very pleasant taste. . In F.gypt they u=e the leaves as fly-daps, for driving 

 away the numerous insects which prove so troublesdme ir> hot ccnintries. The hard 

 boughs are used for fences and other purposes of busuandry ; the principal stem for 

 building. The fruitj before it is ripe.Js somewluit astringent : but, when thoroughly 

 mature, is of the nature of the fig. The'Scnegal dates are shorter than those of Egypt, 

 but much thickenin tbe^ulp, which is-said to have a S'Ugary agreeable taste,' superior 

 to that of the best dateti of the Levant. ,y 



A white lifuirr,; known by the name of milk, is drawn also from the date-tree. To 

 -obtain it, all liicbranches. are cut from the summit of one of these trees, and, after 

 several incisions have bee;i made in it, they are covered with leaves, in order that the 

 heat of tbe sun may not dry ii. -rThe sap- drops down into a vessel placed to receive it, 

 at the botcoia ofra cii-cniajtigroove, rnacie below the incisions. The milk of the date- 

 tree has a s wee land, agreeable taste when it is new; it is very refreshing, and it is even 

 ^iveij to. sJckpeopleto drink, but it genera.lly turns sour at the end of tweTity-four 

 hours. Old trees are chosen for this operation, because the cutting of the- branches, 

 and the large quantity ot stip which Mows from them, greatly exhaust.-them, and often 

 cause them to decay. 



Ihe'maleftfjwers of tVie date-tree are also useful. They are eaten v/hen still tender, 

 jnixfed.up with a little lemon juice. They are-reckoned to be verv provocative : the 

 odotir which they exhale is probably the cause of this property ascribed to them. 



These date-irees are very lucrative to the inhal>itants oP the'desert. Some of them 

 produce twenty bunches of dates ; but crwe is alwa3's taken to lop off a part of them, 

 that those uhich remain may become larger ; tcuortv\elve bunches only are left on 

 themost vigorous trees. \Vhen the bunches- a-re taken' franr the trees they are hung 

 up in some very thy place, where they may be sheltered and secure from insects. 



Dates, afford wholesome uourishmei^.t, aiKlhave a very agreeable taste v/hen they are 

 fresh. The Arabs eat them without seasoning. -They dry and harden them in the sun, 

 to reduce them to a kind of meal,.. whicli.they -lay up in store to supply themselves 

 with food during the long journies which they often undertake across their desarts. 

 This simple food is sufficient to nturi'*li then! for a long time. The inhabitaius of 

 2aara procure also from their dates a kind of honey v.hich is exceediriglv sweet, for 

 -which purpose they choose those which Irave the softest pulp ; and having put them 

 into a large jar with a hole in the bottom, they squeeze them by placing over them a 

 -weight of eight or ten pounds. The most fluid part of the substance, which drops 

 through the hole, is what they call the honey of the date, 



.Ev*a 



