110 FAMILY herbal: 



of possessing these bad qualities : but it is mod 

 probable that they belor.^ to neither ; and that 

 fancy, rather tiian any thing really known, gare 

 birth to the opiiiioa. 



The Date Tree. Palma dachjlifera. 



A TREE of the warmer countries, verj unlike 

 those of our part of the world. The trunk is thick 

 and tall, aud is all the way up of the same bigness ; 

 it has 110 bark^ but is covered with the rudiments of 

 leaves, and the inner part of the trunk when it i% 

 youiig is eatable. At the top of the trunk stand a 

 vast quafitiiy of leaves^ some erect and some droop- 

 ing, and froin the bosoms of these ^row the floweri 

 and the fruit ; but it is remarkable that the flowers 

 grow upon the trees only, and the fruit on some 

 others. If there be not a tree of the male kind, that 

 is a flowering tree near the fruit of the female, it 

 will never naturally ripen. In this case they cut 

 piF bunches of the flowers, and shake them ovei* 

 the head of the female tree, and this answers the 

 purpose 



All plants have what may be called male and fe- 

 male parts in their flowers. The male parts are 

 certain dusty particles : the female parts are the 

 rudiments of the fruits. In some plants these are 

 in the same flowers as in the tulip. Those black 

 grains which dust the hands are the male part, and 

 the green thing in the middle of them is the female: 

 it becomes afterwards the fruit or seed vessel. la 

 other plants, as melons, and many more, the male 

 parts grow in some flowers, and the female parts in 

 others, on the same plant : and in others, the male 

 flowers and the female grow upon absolutely dif- 

 ferent plants, but of the same kind. This is the 

 ^ase in the date tree as we see, and it is same though 



