

DATE-PALM. PISTACHIA-NUT. 225 



22.] you will see two such catkins as I describe, 

 with a flower of each kind magnified. The com- 

 mon Osier, the twigs of which are so much used for 

 making baskets and bird-cages, is a native species 

 of Sa'lix, the vim'inalis. The Weeping Willow, 

 Sa'lix babylo'nica, is a native of Asia, and was 

 brought into this country about fifty years ago. 



The Date-palm, Phce'nix dactylif era, is a na- 

 tive of the Levant : it grows from sixty to a hun- 

 dred feet in height, with a cluster of leaves, like 

 branches, eight or nine feet long, springing from 

 the top, spreading all round like an umbrella, and 

 bending towards the ground. The shape of the 

 fruit is something like that of an acorn. 



There is scarcely any part of the Date-tree that is . 

 not useful. It supplies the place of corn to the in- 

 habitants of the countries where it grows, and fur- 

 nishes them with almost the whole of their subsist- 

 ence. Besides the fruit, they eat the young leaves; 

 and of the old ones they make mats, and many 

 other articles, with which they carry on a consider- 

 able trade. The tree, when wounded, affords a 

 white juice, called by the natives " the milk of the 

 date ; " which has a sweet and agreeable taste, and 

 is given to invalids as a refreshment; and even the 

 stones of the fruit, though very hard, are not 

 thrown away; for, when bruised or softened in 

 water, they are given to sheep and camels as food. 



The Pistachia-nut-tree, Pista'cia Terebin'thus, 

 Q 



