102 VARIOUS FOOD-PLANTS 
Fig. 110.—Fig (Ficus carica, Mulberry Family, Moraceew). 1, flowering 
branch, showing leaf and urn-shaped receptacle which encloses the 
numerous minute flowers. 2, a single pistillate flower, with stalks of 
two others growing into the cavity of the receptacle; the actual size 
shown by the line at the left. 3, staminate flower. 4, fruit or ripened 
receptacle cut vertically to show the fleshy wall and the cavity filled 
with ripe pistils and sugary material. (Wossidlo.)—A shrub or tree 
becoming 5-10 m. tall; leaves rough above, downy beneath; fruit 
greenish, yellowish, reddish, brown, purplish, or black, often with a 
bloom, the flesh mostly reddish or yellowish. 
maple (Fig. 248). Beets form the chief source of the sugar 
used throughout Europe and nearly half of that consumed in 
the United States. 
As already stated in the last chapter (section 29) large 
quantities of what is known commercially as “glucose”’ 
(which is a honey-like syrup), are manufactured from the 
starch of maize or Indian corn, particularly for the use of 
confectioners. This product is chemically much the same as 
the sweet substance found in fruits, and is perfectly whole- 
some; it has, however, the disadvantage of being only about 
three-fifths as sweet as cane-sugar. 
Another food-product, very much used in confectionery, 
is what is commonly called “ cocoa,’”’ or when sweetened and 
flavored, “ chocolate.’’ This name “cocoa”’ is somewhat mis- 
leading, since it is also applied to the palm which yields the 
