BY T. MORRIS MACKNIGHT, F.L.S. 
97 
from the tree, so the flower is carefully kept and used as occasion 
demands. Hasselquist, who travelled in Egypt, describes the 
operation as follows When the spadix has female flowers 
that come out of its spathe, they search on a tree that has ma e 
flowers, which they know by experience, for the spadix has im 
yet burst out of its spathe. This they open, take out the padix, 
and cut it lengtlnvise in several pieces, but take care ° 
the flowers. A piece of this spadix, with male flowers, they put 
lengthwise between the small branches of the spa x w iic i 
female flowers, and then lay the leaf of a palm over the branches. 
In this situation I yet saw the greatest part of the spadices win 
bore their young fruit; hut the male flowers which were put 
between were withered. The Arab also stated that unless they 
in this manner wed and fecundate the date tree it bears no fruit 
secondly, they always take the precaution to 
unopened spathe, with male flowers, from one year to another 
to be applied for this purpose in case the 
miscarry or sutler damage ; thirdly, if they permit the spadix of 
the male flowers to burst or come out it becomes useless fo 
fecundation ; therefore the person who cultivates 
be careful to hit the right time of assisting the fecundation, which 
is almost the only nicety in their cultivation. 
To climb trees which have no branches but at the top a 
the straight and slender stem, of which cannot ^«PP^ " ^ ’ 
11 T- *.• a ^ort of dl'tli fastened to a lope, that they 
they seat themselves and 
pass round the ^^^i^tance of their feet, and 
holding the cord in ^ a protuberances with 
suddenly upwards so at the origin 
which the stem is symmetncaiiy sxuu , 
of the branch-like totrofThrtree is readied, where, 
these successive ^ , ,i,l,er in lopping oft' the 
“lessor Eurnett.ysthe^ Of. 
years. Haldane says seven ear 
trees from suckers commence to beai nv y 
bearing in ten years, 
n 
