Plants, characteristic of Different Nations. 347 



characteristic tree, to which the Arabs are indebted for 

 their most common beverage. The Hindoos possess two 

 plants of high importance — the rice and the cotton ; the for- 

 mer of which forms almost the daily bread of these people, 

 who scarcely eat animal food, while the latter almost exclu- 

 sively provides them with clothing. Without these two gifts 

 of nature the Hindoo cannot exist, and a failure of the rice 

 crops causes an universal famine. 



The shrub characteristic to the Chinese is easily found : 

 it is the tea, making a beverage, to them the same as wine 

 is to the vine countries, or beer and spirits to the north of 

 Europe. 



The nations inhabiting Europe and the western part of 

 Asia, constituting what is denominated the Caucasian race, 

 have as original characteristic plants, wheat, barley, rye, and 

 oats (which are commonly called the European kinds of 

 grain, although scarcely with truth, as the western part of 

 Asia appears most likely to be their original home.) These, 

 and particularly wheat, form the chief objects of agriculture, 

 and the principal bread of the Caucasian race. 



The southern part of Europe, and that part of western 

 Asia which is bounded by the Mediterranean, possess a re- 

 markably characteristic plant in the olive tree, the product 

 of which, the oil, serves not only as an illuminating material, 

 but also as butter, to the southern Caucasian nations. 



Also the vine is a gift belonging to those nations, with 

 whom its cultivation is of the greatest importance, as afford- 

 ing a beverage in common use between the 30th and 50th 

 degrees of north latitude. 



The Laplanders, belonging to the polar race, possess no 

 characteristic plants, unless the reindeer moss be considered 

 as such, which indeed forms the principal food of their do- 

 mesticated animal — the reindeer. 



In the preceding sketch we have exclusively considered 

 such plants as were originally distributed to the different 



2 z 



