130 THE PALM TREE. 
them, however, it is neither seed nor root, but is the 
wood itself, the pithy centre of the stem, requiring 
scarcely any preparation to fit it for food; and it is 
so abundant that a single tree often yields six hun- 
dred pounds weight. 
“The canes used for chair-bottoms and various 
other purposes, are the stems of a species of calamus, 
slender palms which abound in the East Indian 
jungles, climbing over other trees and bushes by the 
help of the long-hooked spines with which their 
leaves are armed. ‘They sometimes reach the enor- 
mous length of 600 or even 1000 feet, and as 
4,000,000 of them are imported into this country 
(England) annually, a great number of persons must 
find employment in cutting them. 
“ Among the most singular products of palm trees 
are the resins and wax produced by some species. 
The fruits of a species of calamus of the Eastern 
Archipelago are covered with a resinous substance 
of a red color, which in common with a similar pro- 
duct from some other trees, is the Dragon’s blood of 
commerce, and is used as a pigment, for varnish, and 
in the manufacture of tooth-powder. A lofty palm, 
growing in the Andes of Bogot4, produces a resinous 
wax which is secreted in its stem, and used by the 
inhabitants of the country for making candles, and 
for other purposes. 
“The leaves of palms, however, are applied to the 
greatest variety of uses; thatch for houses, umbrellas, 
hats, baskets, and cordage in countless varieties are 
made from them, and every tropical country possesses 
