X CONTENTS. 



Bromelias — The Cactuses — The Mimosas — Bush-ropes — CHmbing Treos — 

 Emblems of Ingratitude — Marriage of the Fig Tree and the Palm — Epiphytes — 

 Water Plants — Singularly-shaped Trees — The Barrigudo — The Bottle Tree — 

 Trees with Buttresses and fantastical Roots — The Mangroves — Their Import- 

 ance in Furthering the Growth of Land-Animal Life among the Mangroves — 

 ' Jumping Johnny ' — Insalubrity of the Mangrove Swamps — The Lum — Trees 

 with formidable Spines Page 120 



CHAPTER XIII. 



PALMS AND FEENS. 



The Cocoa-nut Tree — Its hundred Uses — Cocoa-nut Oil — Coir — Porcupine Wood — 

 Enemies of the Cocoa Palm — The Sago Palm — The Saguer — The Grumatty — 

 The Areca Palm— The Palmyra Palm— The Talipot— The Cocoa de Mer— 

 Ratans — A Ratan bridge in Ceylon — The Date Tree — The Oil Palms of Africa — 

 The Oil Trade at Bonny — Its vast and growing Importance — American Palms — 

 The Carnauba — The Ceroxylon andicola — The Cabbage Palm — The Gulielma 

 speciosa — The Piacava — Difficulties of the Botanist in ascertaining the 

 various species of Palms — Their wide geographical range — Different Phy- 

 siognomy of the Palms according to their height — The Position and Form of 

 their Fronds — Their Fruits — Their Trunk — The Yriartea ventricosa — Arboresr 

 cent Ferns 146 



CHAPTER XIV. 



THE CHIEF ESCULENT PLANTS OF THE TOREID ZONE. 



Rice — Various Aspect of the Rice-fields at different Seasons — The Rice-Bird — 

 Maize — First imported from America by Columbus — Its enormous Productive- 

 ness — Its wide zone of Cultivation — Millet, Dhourra — The Bread-Fruit Tree — 

 The Bananas — Their ancient Cultivation — Avaca or Manilla Hemp — Hum- 

 boldt's Remarks on the Banana — The Traveller's Tree of Madagascar — The 

 Cassava Root — Tapioca — Yams — Batatas — Arrowroot — Taro — Tropical Fruit 

 Trees — The Chirimoya — The Litchi — The Mangosteen — The Mango . 1 63 



CHAPTER XV. 



SUGAR, COFFEE, CACAO, COCA. 



Progress of the Sugar Cane throughout the Tropical Zone — The Tahitian Sugar 

 Cane — The enemies of the Sugar Cane — The Sugar-Harvest — The Coffee Tree — 

 Its cultivation and enemies — The Cacao Tree and the Vanilla — The Coca 

 Plant — Wonderful strengthening Effects of Coca, and fatal consequences of its 

 Abuse 174 



CHAPTER XVI. 



TROPICAL PLANTS USED FOR INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES. 



Cotton — Its Cultivation in the United States — Caoutchouc and Gtitta Percha — 

 Manner in which these resins are collected — Indigo — The British Logwood cut- 

 ters in Honduras — Brazil Wood — Arnatto 188 



