THE PALM FAMILY. 



145 



of 40 — 50 feet, bearing a crown of leaves, each leaf being 

 15 — 20 feet long, with a strong footstalk set with stiff spines. 

 The fruit is produced in large bunches containing from 20 

 to 30 dates. In Northern Africa dates form a large portion 

 of the food of the Arabs and other tribes, as well as the 

 Bedouin Arabs of the wilderness of Sinai, where the trees 

 grow in entangled thickets. They also serve as food for 

 their domestic animals, and are used for many other pur- 

 poses. This is supposed to be the palm spoken of in St. John's 

 Gospel, " Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to 

 meet him,"* from which it may be inferred that they were 

 carried as emblems of dignity, and certainly nothing could 

 have a more imposing effect than a number of unexpanded 

 date leaves with their curved apices borne in this manner. 

 In this country date leaves are used as emblems of respect to 

 the memory of great men. 



Phoenix sylvestris. A common palm throughout India, 

 attaining a considerable height, and has leaves like the last. 

 It is one of the wine or toddy palms. In Old Calabar and 

 other parts of West Africa toddy is procured from Baphia 

 vinifera and several other palms not at present well known to 

 botanists. 



When fresh, " toddy " is pleasant, but it speedily fer- 

 ments and becomes intoxicating ; when distilled it is called 

 " arrack," which, like other intoxicating beverages, is per- 

 nicious and demoralizing when taken in excess. By boiling, 

 a sugar is obtained called "jaggary." There are several 

 methods of obtaining toddy, but chiefly by cutting off the 

 end of the young flower spike (spadix) before it opens, and 

 fastening a vessel to the end into which the sap flows. A 

 model illustrating the mode of climbing the trees, together 

 with implements for collecting the "toddy," are to be seen in 

 the Museum at Kew. 



Caryota urens is another wine palm abundant throughout 

 India, growing to the height of 50 or 60 feet, and having a 



* Chap. xii. ver. 13. 

 L 



