1 1 6 Trayels into the 1, e v a n Part II. 
The Cuitt- Amongft the Trees ot" Perjîj, is the Palm-Tree, v/hich they carefully Cultivate : 
Palmfxree ''^ when it is Young, and bef ore it bear Fruit, they dig at the Root of it,' eight or ten 
. " ' Fathom deep in the Earth, more or kfs, until they have found water i but that 
Pit is not made all roiu.d the Tree v for that would make it fall i, they only dig on 
one fide, and then hll up that hole with Pigeons Dung, whereof they have always 
provifion in th^t Country i becaufe in the Villages they purpofely keep a great 
many tame Pigeoiis, and 1 v.'as told by the people of the Country, fhat if they took 
not (hat courfe with the Palm-Trees, they would not bear good Fiuit : but there 
is a very curious thing befides to be obfervcd in the Cultivating of^ this Tree i and 
that is that every year when the Palm- Trees are in Bloffome, they take the Blof- 
fomes of the Male Palm-Tree, and put two ox three Branches of them into the 
Matrix of each Female Palm-Tree, when they begin to BloWi clfe they would 
produce Dates, with no more but Skin and Stone, I call the Matrix that Bud 
which contains the Flowers, from which in procefs of tinie the Dates ipring -, 
the time of making that inoculation is about the end of November : Not but the 
Males alfo bear Fruit, but it is good for nothing, and therefore they take all their 
Bioflbms to Graft the Females with. As to Dates, it is worth the takeing notice of^ 
that the uk of them is very dangerous during the Heats in hot Countries, becaufç 
they make the whole Body to break out in Botches and Boils, and fpoil the, figh^f* 
There is a Shrub called in Perfian Kerzchreh-> that is to fay j^Jfes Gall, becaufe^ 
Kfnehreh^ a (as they fay) it is as bitter as the Gall of an Afs. This Shrub is a Frmex that grows 
fhrub. fometimes as high as a tall man : the Trunk of it many times is. as big as a man, 
from which iffue forth ftems as big as ones Leg, that fend forth fcveral Branches,; 
the leaft whereof are as big as ones Finger. This Tree looks of a vvhitilh green, it 
hath a pretty thick Bark, under which the Stem, ( which is ligoous) is White. 
The leaves of it are as thick as thofe of the Laurel Rofe-Tree, much brpadetj- 
moft as long, and in a manner Oval, with Veins running along them 5 thefès 
Leaves grow by pairs, the one oppofite to the other, but not all of a fide, forthe 
pair below makes acrofs with the pair above, in the fame manner as Balm does, 
and that regularly every where i they have no Stalk, but embrace the Stem. 
Towards the head of the ftem, about the uppermoft but. one of the fèts of 
See the fol- Leaves, or fomewhat higher, out of the main liem, betwixt the two Leaves, a 
Jewing Cut. ftem fprouts out as big as the (hank of a Tulip, and long as ones Finger, from 
the end whereof other fmall ftalks fpring forth about fifteen in number, each 
of which bears a Flower on the topi all thefe Flowers together making a kind 
of Pofie , before they blow, they are about the bignefs of a Brafs Farthing, 
and are like a flat Button, or of the fame bignefs and figure as fome little white 
round Bones, flat above, which are to be found in the Thornback-Fifh, they are 
round below, that is to fay, the Leaves of which it is made up, joyn, and make 
the upper fide fiat : when they are open they look like very fmall Emonies. Thefe 
The Flowers Flowers on the outfide arc of a dull fullied White, inclining to a Violet-colour, 
of l{ir\(hreh. and very fleeked i in the infide the bottom is White, and the point of each Leaf 
Purple; at the bottom there is a fmall Pentagone Figure, all Yellow, whereof each 
Angle anfwers to the middle of one of the Leaves of the Flower, and out of the 
middle of each fide of that Pentagone, grows, as it were a Tooth, White be- 
I0W3 and of a Purple colour at the top, and each Tooth anfwersto the interftice 
betwixt every two Leaves i the Flower may be like the Flower of a Bramble. 
This Plant is full of a very tart Milk, which immediately dries betwixt the Fingers, 
and turns to little threads. It is commonly faid in Ffr/z<3 f but I never faw the ex- 
periment of it) that if a man breath in the hot Wind which in Jum ot July ^^iTcs 
The bad ef- over that Plant, it will kill him ; fothat if one take hold of him by an Arm or a 
fefts of Ker. Leg and pull it, it will come off like boyled Flefli -, and they call that Wind ta- 
BaMamour tlifamouT, which in Firfinn Language figniHes a Poyfon-Wind. They add that 
Poyfon-wind. prevent it, is when one feels a hot Wind, and likewife hears the 
A Remedy a- noifeof it, (for it makes a whiftling noife) quickly to wet a Cloak or fome fuch 
gainft the fia- thing, and wrap it about the Head, that the wind may not pierce it i and befides, 
difamour. to lie on the ground flat on ones Face, till it be over, which is not above a quarter 
of an hour. They fay that that Plant is very Vcnemous, and that therefore 
they call it KeTzehreh\ and an Armenian one day would have had me believe, that 
if a drop of the Milk of Kerzehrth touched a mans Eye, he would lofe it for good 
and all i but I was not willing to try the experiment. 
The 
