The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-01-07
THE PALMS.


etable world, for wherever they bloom they
enrich the landscape with their grace and
majesty The most perfect Of the family
have tall cylindrical stem, which shoots
upward from the earth, without knot or
blemish, like an Ionic column; springing to
an immense height, and yet so symmetri-
cal that its slenderness conveys no idea of
feebleness. The summit bears crown of
emerald-green plumes, like diadem of gi-
gantie eostrich-feathers. These are frequently
twenty feet long, droop slightly at the ends,
and rustic musieally in the breeze.
In the arid desert it forms an object of
peculiar beauty. as it scars, erect and grace
ful, near some welcome spring of living wa
ters. landmark to the wayworn traveller.
But to see it in all its glory you should visit
the palm-groves of tropical America or
POLYNESIA. and wander enchanted in their
grateful shades Under the natural screen
which their thick green feathery branches
supply, the orange and the lemon, the POM
egranate. the olive, the almond, and the vine
flourish in wild luxuriance, and yield an
abundance of luscious fruit. And while
the eve is never weary of gazing on the
glorious blossoms which brighten and adorn
the scene. the ear is also ravished with the
sweet clear melody of numerous birds, at
tracted to the palm-groye by its cool sha-
dows. its fruits and Its crystal springs.
In Ceylon and Malabar one of the prin-
cipal palms Is the remarkable talipat, or
umbrella palm, sometimes called the great
fan-palm. which frequently reaches height
Of hundred feet Ii is straight as a giant 5
spear. five feet in circumference at the foot,
and tapers toward the summit, where it
terminates in magnificent crown of enor-
nous plated leaves. Each leaf, near the
outer margin, is divided into numerous seq
ments and united to the trunk by spiny
leaf-stalks It usually measures about
eighteen feet in length, exclusive of the
leafstalk and about fourteen feet iii
breadth. 50 that a single leaf viii form an
excellent canopy for a score of men.
This palm Is employed for many import-
an. purposes. such as roofing houses or
making tents. The Singalese noble, on
state occasions. Is always followed by an at
tendaHt bearing above his head a richly or
namented talipat leaf, which can be folded
up. ike fan. into roll of the thickness of
mans arm, and is wonderfully light. In
Malabar the leaves are used as a substitute
for paper, after preliminary process of
boiling, driving, damping, rubbing and press
Ing. The oil employed in ooloring the
writing preserves them from insects, but
changes with age, 50 that Singalese de
termines the date Of book by carefully
smelling Of it.
Al the palms serve the needs of man.
What would become of the wanderer il the
deserts Of Arabia and Barbary should the
date-palnl suddenly become extinct ?
Thousands Of human beings would ineRita-
bly perish. for the inhabitants Of Fezzan
live wholly upon its saceharine and delicious
fruit for nine months Of the year. In
Egypt. Arabia and Persia it forms the prie-
eipal food Of the people, and man wealth
is computed By the number of date-paims
he possesses. When dried the fruit be
comes an important commercial staple.
Cakes of dates, pounded and kneaded until
solid enough to be cut BY hatchet. supply
the provision Of the African caravans on
their toilsome journey through the wastes
Of the Sahara.
To the inhabitants Of Northern Africa
the date Is food, comfort, wealth,-nay
life. II j. easy to understand the gratitude
cherished by the Arab towards the date
palm. II thrives in the sandy waste,
draws sustenanee from braekish water fatal
10 almost every other plant preserves It's
, freshness when all around it decays and
withcrs under the rays of an implaeable
sun. and resists the tempests which bow It's
flexible crest but cannot tear up Its solidly
; planted roots. Without this tree the no
madic tribes of this region must cease tC
exist
What the date-palm is TO the Arab, the
) cocoa-palm is to the Polynesian Orig
: nally il would seem TO have been a native
enly Of the Indian coasts and South Ses
Islands. but it is now diffused over all tbs
tropical world. II fourishes best in the
neighborhood of the sea coast, and Is the
crown and glory of the coral islets which
0 stud the sapphire expanse of the Pacific
t Ocean. Its cylindrical and slender stem
{ about two feet IN diameter and from sixty
e to one hundred feet in height, with its cres
r Of green, dropping, piunated leaves, gener
| ally sixteen to twenty feet in number, anc
: from twelve to twenty feet in length, formi
| conspicuous ornament of the tropica
! landscape
e The uses of this tree are manifold, anC
e its valuable properties claim mans graft
a tude. Its hard, agate-hke, polished timber
J known as poreupine wood, Is priced by tbs
l. eabinet-maker, the hard nut which en-
; closes its fruit the savage earves into hand
a some bowls and goblets; the milky hquiC
5 within has a sweet and delicious flavor, anC
) is very wholesome, refreshing and digesti
r Bile; the fibrous husk can be woven int,
! sails and cordage, or used for stufing mat,
+ and cushions the terminal bud, or palm
= cabbage. is delicate eating; the central par
D of the stem, when young, affords a swee
o and excellent food; the fermented saI
e Yields the spirituous liquor 50 well know
e as arrack the dried leaves can be employ
l ed for theteh; and the nut itself is pop
q ular and justly priced dainty. The cocoa
r palm ripens in about six years, and con
: tinues productive for seventy or eighty
l each tree bearing annually from eighty II
one hundred nuts
II seems odd that the cocoa-nut tree
should have such very small flowers, anC
, vet such very large fruit. From fiowe
t not larger than grain of rice great frui
y viii grow much larger than mans head
f but it takes whole year for the fruit t
n grow to that size, ripen and fail to tn
n ground. The larger part of the coeoa-paln
y fruit is a thick husk, while the round hare
; nut itself is inside of the husk. We mus
n understand. then, that the cocoa-nut as
y hangs on the tree is at least six or eigh
s times as large as the nut with which we ar
II so familiar. IF the fruit is left to ripen o.
II the tree the husk. which for a long time
/ green and full of juice, turns brownisl
: color, gets quite dry, and then falls of
d When these great heavy nuts especially
e the husks be yet green and laden wit
Ie Juice, fall from the trees, they come dow
r with great force, and people have bee
n killed, while walking beneath the trees, b
lie the nuts falling ON their heads.
p The flowers of the coeoa-nuts grow OF
sr of a kind of one-sided pod, which attain