130 
PRODUCTS  OF  THE  NATURAL  ORDER  PALMACEiE. 
tsedigera,  is  a  glorious  object,  the  enormous  plume  of  primate 
feathers  rising  gracefully  from  the  top  of  its  straight 
cylindrical  stem,  is  often  from  sixty  to  seventy  feet  in  height. 
It  is  a  great  blessing  to  the  natives,  who  make  from  the  hard 
outer  portion  of  the  petioles  baskets,  window  blinds,  &c.  From 
the  softer  internal  portion  they  make  shutters,  doors,  boxes,  and 
almost  every  other  domestic  article,  which  in  other  countries 
would  be  made  of  harder  wood.  The  entomologists  who  explore 
its  habitat  are  glad  to  get  the  pith  for  their  insect  boxes,  in 
which  it  takes  the  place  of  cork. 
Coryphince,  the  second  division,  is  typified  by  the  genus 
Oorypha,  which  yields  numerous  valuable  materials.  The  genus 
Chamserops  is  the  only  genus  which  extends  so  far  north  as 
Europe  and  North  America;  in  the  former  continent  it  is  repre- 
sented by  C.  humilis,  which  grows  in  the  extreme  south  of 
Europe,  and  in  the  latter  by  C.  palmetto,  and  is  found  in  lat.  34° — 
36°.  The  next  genus,  Phoenix,  is  one  of  the  most  useful  of  the 
order;  P.  dactylifera,  is  the  well  known  date-bearing  palm,  the 
fruit  of  which  is  the  chief  food  of  many  tribes  of  Asia  and 
Africa.  It  has  been  cultivated  from  a  very  early  period,  and 
rewards  the  careful  cultivator  with  improved  varieties.  In  a  letter 
addressed  to  Lord  Palraerston  by  Dr.  Richardson,  on  the  dates 
of  Fezzan,  he  states,  that  nineteen-twentieths  of  the  population 
of  Fezzan  live  on  dates  during  nine  months  of  the  year.  P. 
Sylvestus,  is  tapped  for  its  juice,  which  is  either  fermented  into 
palm  wine  or  toddy,  or  else  it  is  boiled  for  its  sugar;  of  the  latter 
article  immense  quantities  are  not  only  used  in  India,  but  also 
exported  to  this  country.  Division  Aricinse.  The  genus  Areca 
belongs  to  India,  and  is  of  great  importance,  owing  to  the  extra- 
ordinary use  of  the  nut  of  the*  A.  catechu,  in  almost  all  parts  of 
India,  as  a  narcotic  and  excitant  of  the  salinary  glands. 
Division  Cocoince. — Cocos  nucifera,  the  cocoa-nut  palm,  is  an 
object  of  interest  even  to  the  inhabitants  of  Europe  as  well  as 
the  tropics.  It  yields  us  a  valuable  vegetable  fat,  the  importance 
of  which  is  daily  increasing  in  the  manufacture  of  candles  and 
soap.  For  its  use  in  making  candles  we  are  chiefly  indebted  to 
Mr.  Wilson,  the  spirited  manager  of  Price's  Patent  Candle  Com- 
pany. This  company,  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  the  world,  is 
making  an  enormous  amount  of  goods  for  the  island  of  Ceylon, 
