60 NUTRITIVE PLANTS. 



accurately in that part of his work where he treats of the palm* 

 tree. 



There is scarcely any part of the date-tree which is not useful. 

 The wood, though of a spungy texture, lasts such a number of 

 years, that the inhabitants of the country say it is incorruptible. 

 They employ it for making beams and instruments of husbandry ; 

 it burns slowly, but the coals which result from its combustion are 

 very strong, and produce a great heat. 



The Arabs strip the bark and fibrous parts from the young date- 

 trees, and eat the substance, which is in the centre; it is very nou- 

 rishing, and has a sweet taste : it is known by the name of the 

 marrow of the date-tree. They eat also the leaves, when they are 

 young and tender, with lemon-juice; the old ones are laid out to 

 dry, and are employed for making mats and other works of the 

 same kind, which are much used, and with which they carry on a 

 considerable trade in the interior parts of the country. From the 

 sides of the stumps of the branches which have been left, arise a 

 great number of delicate filaments, of which they make ropes, and 

 which might serve to fabricate cloth. 



A white liquor, known by the name of milk, is drawn also from 

 the date-tree. To obtain it, all the branches are cut from the sum- 

 mit of one of these trees, and after several incisions have been made 

 in it, they are covered with leaves, in order that the heat of the 

 sun may not dry it up. The sap drops down into a vessel placed to 

 receive it, at the bottom of a circular groove made below the inci- 

 sions. The milk of the date-tree has a sweet and agreeable taste 

 when it is new ; it is very refreshing, and is even given to sick peo- 

 ple to drink, but it generally turns sour at the end of 24 hours. 

 Old trees are chosen for this operation, because the cutting of the 

 branches, and the large quantity of sap which flows from them, 

 greatly exhaust them, and often cause them to decay. 



The male flowers of the date-tree are also useful. They are 

 eaten when still tender, mixed up with a little lemon-juice. They 

 are reckoned highly stimulative ; the odour which they exhale is 

 probably the cause of this property being ascribed to them, 

 These date. trees are very lucrative to thei nhabitants of the desert. 

 Some of them produce 20 bunches of dates ; but care is always 

 taken, to lop off a part of them, that those which remain may be 



