IN CALIFORNIA 241 



petals, as well as of the fruit both without and 

 within, exert an irresistible appeal to-day as they 

 did to the artists of old who sculptured the pome- 

 granate's forms upon Solomon's temple and em- 

 broidered them into the hem of Aaron's priestly 

 vestment. 



A trim, little Syrian tree which is met with in 

 increasing abundance in California is the carob, the 

 Ceratonia siliqua of the botanists. It has a cheer- 

 ful crown of leathery pinnate leaves, and bears 

 at least, the pistillate trees do those flat, chestnut- 

 colored pods that city street venders of fruit some- 

 times have in their stock under the name of St. 

 John's bread. So far its principal use in Cali- 

 fornia is as an ornamental shade tree, but the pos- 

 sibilities of its bean-like pods for horse and cattle 

 feed put it in the class of economic plants of value. 

 In Palestine, where the carob tree grows wild, and 

 in the Mediterranean region generally, the sugary 

 legumes have been fed from time immemorial to 

 domestic animals, which fatten on them. To the 

 lover of romance in plant life, the tree's especial 

 claim to interest lies in the probability that "the 

 husks that the swine did eat" mentioned in the 

 parable of the Prodigal Son, were pods of the 

 carob tree; and an old tradition credits it with 

 being the tree that Judas hanged himself upon. 



