THE WONDERS OF VEGETATION. 83 



for the food of her children, but also for nearly all that 

 is necessary for life. Three palms especially are of 

 great service : the sago palm, the cocoa, and the 

 date. The sago palm, when in bloom, gives to man 

 a perfectly amazing amount of a farinaceous product. 

 The cocoa, on the other hand, ministers quite alone 

 to all his wants. Food, bread and wine, clothing, 

 shelter, articles of daily use, all are provided by the 

 cocoa. Nor is the date palm less valuable. We 

 know what a wonderful source of food it is to the Af- 

 ricans. These three palms deserve the same consider- 

 ation from the inhabitants of their respective coun- 

 tries which we give to wheat and the vine, and the 

 natives are not ungrateful. In more than one ancient 

 religion we find that these trees were the objects of 

 adoration on the part of grateful nations. 



The traveller in Palestine or Syria contemplates 

 with a different interest the palms of the Holy Land. 

 The date is the commonest tree in these regions. 

 " Everywhere," says a recent traveller, " we see its 

 round stipe balancing high in the air its ample clus- 

 ters of fruit, and still higher above them its magnifi- 

 cent plume of leaves. Nothing is more beautiful than 

 an avenue of these noble trees ; and one can conceive 

 the enthusiasm with which the prophets of the Bible 

 and the poets of the East have celebrated it in their 

 songs. 



THE WAX PALM. 



"We cannot leave the chapter on palms without 

 mentioning one which yields wax, the carnahuba 



