FLAX, COTTON, WOOL, AND SILK. 



23 



The last vise to which we shall now refer, is that of affording saccharine juices to man. 

 This is known familiarly in this country in the wine obtained from the fermented juice 

 of the birch tree (Betula alba] . It is still better known in the Northern and "Western States 

 of America, and in Canada, from the sugar-yielding maple (Acer saccharinum}. This is 



Fig. 62. Fibre of flax, A ; of cotton, B ; of wool, C; and of silk, D ; placed side by side, so that 

 their relative size and markings may be readily contrasted. The fibre or cells of cotton are 

 manifestly much thinner, and less resistiag, than those of the other substances. 



still a greatly valued^product in the less accessible parts of the country ; but the introduc- 

 tion of the cane sugar of the Southern States is gradually supplanting it in public esti- 

 mation. The sugar obtained from it is very brown, "but sweetens well, and will probably 

 be one of the treasures of the happy housewife ia the fertile paradise of the " far west" 

 for many years to come. In both of the above instances the juice is collected in a similar 

 way wz., by boring one or more holes into the stem of the tree at the period of the year 

 when the sap has most accumulated ; and, as the sap exudes, collecting it in vessels 

 placed at the foot of the tree. The sugar is thence obtained by mere evaporation 

 and subsidence ; but the wine requires tlie subsequent process of saccharine fermen- 

 tation. 



The spruce-beer in use in Norway, and i&e refreshing juices of India, are obtained 

 in a similar way, and from the same vessels- viz., woody and pitted tissues. 



Palm- wine is a delicious beverage, obtained from various species of palm, but espe- 

 cially from the cocoa-nut palm (Cocosnucifero), the gomuto palm (Soguerns saccharifer), 

 and the magnificent Palmyra palm (Borassus flaJbelliformis}. The latter is the most 

 widely distributed of all the palm tribe, since it inhabits all the various regions of the 

 Continent and Islands of India. Mr. Fergusson, in the first illustrated book which 

 proceeded from Ceylon, has given a most valuable account of the palm trees of Ceylon. 

 We counsel our readers to peruse it attentively, and especially that portion which 

 describes the Palmyra palm and its products. The juice is procured by crushing the 

 young inflorescence, and cutting off the upper part. It is then collected in a vessel 

 attached to the cut end, and the daily discharge of the sap is facilitated by cutting a 

 new slice every day. The fresh sap, called taree, or toddy, is very refreshing ; and, if 

 allowed to evaporate, yields a deposit of coarse sugar, or jaggery. "When fer- 



