90 THE GEOGRAPHY OF PLANTS. 



dance in ancient Palestine is alluded to in 

 1 Kings x. 27, " And the king (Solomon) made 

 .... cedars to be as the sycamore trees that 

 are in the vale, for abundance." 



The valuable substance, India-rubber, now 

 so extensively employed in the manufactures of 

 this country, is furnished by many species of 

 fig in great abundance. All that is imported 

 from India is the produce of Ficus elastica, and 

 various Javanese and American species yield it 

 freely. It is obtained by making incisions into 

 the tree, and collecting the sap as it flows ; 

 when hardened by exposure to the air it forms 

 caoutchouc, or India-rubber. It has of late 

 years been very extensively and increasingly 

 used in this country, and especially since the 

 discovery of certain liquids which will dissolve 

 it, so that it may be applied in the manner 

 of varnish, from which, when spread lightly 

 over any substance, the dissolving liquid being 

 very volatile, evaporates, and leaves a very thin 

 film of caoutchouc behind. In this manner the 

 waterproof cloths and fabrics are made, which 

 are now so largely used. Some idea may be 

 formed of the rapidly increasing consumption of 

 this article from the fact, that in 1830 the 

 quantity imported into England was 52,000 

 pounds ; in 1833, 180,000 pounds ; while in 

 1847, 659,568 pounds were imported. Some 

 species of fig, as the banyan, (Ficus Indica^) 

 send off shoots from their long horizontal 

 branches, which descend to the earth, and there 

 taking root, become subsidiary trunks, which 



