Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-28
ALL SORTS OF QUEER PALMS.
A Multitude of Uses for Certain Inter-
esting Tropical Trees.

I'VE have III kinds Of palms In the Botanical
Gardens now" said the horticulturist in charge
to 6rAl reporter yesterday. land some oil
them are curious enough. Here, for instance
ID the pandanis palm, which the natives Of
some parts Of Africa use when they want tc
roast . man. To begin with they wrap the
game mp in few banana leaves and tie II
neatly in the proper shape for cooking with
the long psndanis lesves, which are a. str one
a. rope. You can see for yourself that you
cannot break or tear them by exerting all the
strength Of both hands.
This big one ia the toddy palm. the juice
Of which insoxicates more people In the world
than all the whisky that il made. In Asia this
liquor n the favorite drink Of millions OF
human beings, It is obtained by cutting of
the embryo flowers and hanging gourds be.
neath to catch the Juice. One good-sized tree
viii yield from pint to . quart morning and
night right along-much cheaper than q ga
ioon' you see. II 10 'make-drunk' liquor, too.
wHEseH PALM OIL CONES.
"Here is the African oil palm, which con
tributes annually to Great Britain alone
900 worth of seeds in exchange for
trinkets and cloth. From the famous palm oil
soap are made; it II also the best lnbricating
az emit in the world
From these two palms are obtained hats
that cover millions and millions Of heads. One
Is the chip palm and the other is the pana ma
hat palm, from which such costly coverings for
from the isthmus
"Ihis Is the famous wine palm Of the noun
tains OF India that renders the Afghans such
desperate fighters in battle. 1t is the most
combative Of all lighting drinks, so it is said,
and the man drunk ON ii has an effectiveness in
Ia m w fkoin cd hv hn has n
mind bent wholly on slaughter, with no regard
whatever for his own safety. The liquor from
the wine palm is collected in caiabashes, Just
a. IN the case Of the toddy palm.
COLUMBUS PALM.
"Here ID the kind of palm that gave Colum-
bus, with its waving top, his first view Of
America. It was on the island Of San Salvador
that he found such as this. II the Washington
centennial were to be celebrated by a worlds
fair in this city this palm would be placed on
exhibition; but IL will not be sent to Chicago.
However, 1t will be kept here through the GEN.
tennial year to show to visitors. After that il
Will have to be cut down. because it is growing
through the high dome Of this green house, az
you may observe for yourself.
This one 10 the assai palm, the liquor
pressed from the seeds of which ia drunk az
COMMONLY in Brazil as coffee is here. And
next it is date palm, which planted myself
thirty years ago, first eating the date and then
putting the seed in the ground.
SUGAR PALM ovEs ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
'That huge one there is the finest sugar palm
at present existing in any green house. It is
over one hundred years old, but that's not very
aged for palm which lives two hundred years
or more. There are palms in Paris at this day
which Nine. Pompadour was familiar with.
This one, only eight feet high, il forty years
old. It will be just about full grown when the
next Washington centennial is celebrated in
1892. 1t is the great drawback about a palm
for horticultural purposes that it grows so very
slowly. have known palm seeds to lie in the
earth nine years before sprouting. The palms
you see at parties and other entertainments are
Of fast-grow wing kind that attain the remarka-
BILE height Of four feet IN seven years. At that
height and age they cost about $25 apiece"