424 ^LETTERS, 
fer much from this. An infeft called Cynips hath its 
dwelling and works in the male flower cups, but 
whether it ever enters the hermaphrodite cups, and 
whether it contributes any thing towards its fecun- 
dation, I have much reafon to doubt ; I fhall however 
make fome farther enquiry with refpeft to this. 
It is alfo Angular in this plant, that the male cups 
are ufeful, and may be earen ; but the herma- 
phrodites ferve for no ufe, juft the reverfe of the 
common fig : I (hall, pleafe God, fend a cutting 
of this tree to Upfala garden next year, together 
with plaintain, Chrift’s thorn, &c. 
I would fpeak of the Plantain-tree or Mufa, the 
queen of plants, but it commands me to be filent, as 
it has had the good fortune to be completely de- 
fcribed by the greateft mafter. I will however men- 
tion an odd ftory, which is taken for granted by the 
Egyptian gardeners : they fay, that it can be pro- 
duced by planting the kernel of a Date in the root 
of Colocafia , and that this was its firft origin ; a 
Angular hiftory of creation. I alked them, whe- 
ther they ever made trial, as they fo obftinately 
defended the truth of it ; but they anfwered no, 
and that it was not worth while, as the plant 
grows fo freely without culture ; et fabulofa juvant. 
About this time we daily eat ripe Dates. I wilh 
it were poffible to get iome bafkets of them to 
Upfala, as I with joy could fend them. In Europe, 
we feem to envy the felicity of the people who en- 
joy thefe fruits. I confefs they are good to tafte 
once or twice •, but though I have got over the age 
when fuch things pleafe mod, yet I would gladly 
give two bufliels of Dates for half a bulhel of good 
Swedifh apples, and am perfuaded, I Ihould find 
thoufands in Egypt ready to make the fame ex- 
change. Apples are fcarce here ; they are brought 
6 hither 
