DATE TREE. 26j 
as for other purposes, and say that it burns slowly 
and without flame, but that the charcoal gives an 
intense heat. 
The substance which is found in the centre of 
the young darte trees is very nourishing, and has a 
sweet taste ; the Arabs, who strip the bark and 
fibrous part oft" the tree in order to obtain this food, 
call it the marrow of the date. They eat also the 
leaves when they are young and tender, mixing 
them with lemon juice ; the old ones are laid out 
to dry, and are employed for making mats and 
other works of the same kind, which are much 
tised, and with which they carry on a considerable 
trade in the interior parts of the country. From 
the sides of the stumps of the branches, which have 
been left, arise a great number of delicate filaments, 
of which they make ropes, and from which it would 
be possible to manufacture a coarse kind of cloth. 
We learn from Hasselquist, that the Egyptians 
make a conserve of fresh dates and sugar, which 
has a very pleasant taste. Before the fruit is ripe 
it is somewhat astringent ; but when arrived at ma- 
turity it resembles the fig. A white liquor, known 
by the name of milk, is also obtained from this 
tree, by making incisions at the base of the leaves, 
during the greatest heat of summer, and suspending 
a vessel below in order to receive the liquor. The 
juice which flows at this time is of a sweet and 
agreeable taste, but must be used fresh, as it turns 
sour in the course of twenty-four hours. When 
this operation is frequently repeated, it exceedingly 
