58 FIRST STEPS IN GENERAL KNOWLEDGE. 



ripe as food. The banana * is a shorter, thicker 

 fruit, greatly preferred by Europeans in tropical 

 countries, and reminding them of bur finest-fla- 

 voured apples and pears. Indian cottages are 

 thatched with the leaves of the plantain, and the 

 tables are spread with them as a natural cloth. 

 The plants also furnish many useful articles, espe- 

 cially flax, from which some of the finest muslins 

 of India are prepared. Among the tribes closely 

 following this, we meet with other examples of 

 warm and stimulating qualities in the GINGER tribe, 

 a very useful race of plants." 



" Green ginger preserves are delicious," said 

 Henry ; " and people make ginger wine and ginger 

 beer, otherwise I should not think ginger very 

 useful." 



" All the ginger plants are natives of hot 

 climates, where the inhabitants need this sort of 

 stimulant more than we do, and chew such power- 

 ful spices with much pleasure." 



The children would have been surprised to hear 

 this, had they not seen a Hindoo servant shortly 

 before, whose mistress was accustomed to treat 



* Mitxa sapientum. 



