^^:i,z . . JAMAICA, 



ufcd to make their arrow heads with it, fharpened to a fine point, which 

 was almoft equal to iron. The prickles of this fpecies, and the ma- 

 caw, in their native ftate, are very elegant toothpicks, and require only 

 an eye to ferve the purpofe of needles for coarfe work. The Indians 

 formerly are faid to have ufed them for a very inhuman purpofe : after 

 tying their prifoncrs of war to fome tree, they took thefe thorns, and 

 wrapping them in little pellets of cotton dipt in oil, ftuck them into the 

 fides of the milerable fufferers, till they were briftled like hedge-hogs. 



42. Date Tree. — Palma major., feu Phanlx daSlilyfera. 



-^his tree has been cultivated in fome few gardens, and feems to agree 

 ' extremelv well both with the foil and climate. T\\t fruit is undoubt- 

 edly nutritive, as it conftitutes no inconfiderable part of food among 

 the Afiatics. In Africa it grows naturally, and from thence probably 

 the feeds planted here were obtained. Moft authors affirm, that, un- 

 lefs the female or fruit-bearing trees have the affiflance of the male, 

 they are unprolific. In fuch places, therefore, where there are no male 

 trees near the female, the inhabitants cut off the bunches of male flowers 

 when they are juft opened, and, carrying them to the female trees, place 

 them on the branches of the female flowers to impregnate them, which 

 they fay has the defired effeft, rendering thofe trees fruitful, that would 

 otherwife have been barren. The flowers of the male have fix fhort 

 jlain'ina, with narrow four-cornered fummits filled \v\x\\ farina', the 

 female flowers have no Jlamina , but have a ronndifh ^frwfw, which 

 afterwards becomes an oval berry, with a thick pulp, inclofing a hard 

 oblong ftone, with a deep furrow running longitudinally. The 

 bunches of fruit are fometimes very large. Thofe dates are efteemed 

 the beft, which are large, foft, yellowifli, with few or no wrinkles, and 

 full of pulp, either of a good white throughout, or elfe reddifli towards 

 the furface, and white towards the kernel. 



They are preferved in three different ways ; fome preffcd, and dried ; 

 others preffed more moderately ; but the befl: are thofe not prefled at 

 all; only moiftened with the juice of other dates, as they are packed 

 up in balkets or flcins. 



In regard to their medicinal virtues, they are faid to flrengthen the 

 ftomach, ftop loofenefles, and corroborate the intellines; they are alio 

 good in difeafes of the breafl, and promote the expedoration of grofs 



humours; 



