The onion was a favourite in Egypt more than two thousand years before the Christian era. In that country its taste is so delicious that we can form little idea of it. the bulb into pieces, and The Egyptians cut roast it with meat, and are SO fond of this dish, that they hope it may form one of the viands of Paradise. The Tree-Onion. children of Is rael longed for these onions in the desert; and travellers say it is no wonder they should have done so, "For whoever has tasted the on ions of Egypt must acknowledge that none can be better in any part of the universe. The New Zealand flax,* belongs to this group, Phormium tenax. and is the plant from which the natives make not only their fishing lines and nets, but also the mats or cloaks that form their clothing. It grows everywhere near the sea and on the hill sides, springing up in bunches or tufts, with leaves something like the common flax. The natives cut it down while it is green, and bring it home in bundles. They then scrape the leaves with a large mussel-shell, and split them open with their thumb nails, which they keep very long expressly for the purpose. The outside part of the leaf they throw away, and the rest is spread out to dry in the sun, and soon becomes as white as snow. They spin it by the hand into a double thread, and then work it into mats. The woman, who is going to make the mat, sticks wooden pegs into the ground, at equal distances from each other. To these she ties the threads, and begins to weave with the greatest quickness and dexterity. In its raw state this flax is much stronger than hemp; yet when boiled with potash it becomes so weak as scarcely to bear the operation of weaving. A gentleman had a pair of trousers made of it, but they did not wear; and the idea once entertained of weaving the flax into cloth is now given up. It is, however, well adapted to ropes and twines, and would prove highly valuable to our shipping. No great quantity of the flax can be obtained, because the inhabitants of New Zealand are not industrious enough to collect it, and cannot be Xanthorrea hastilis. The Grass Tree. brought to England, and amongst other things, was taken to see one of our rope walks. He was shown the method of making twine, some of which was spun before him, and the process fully explained. He was so struck with the contrast between the knowledge of the white men, and the ignorance of his own countrymen, that he burst into tears and exclaimed, "New Zealand no good!" The grass-tree of New South Wales bears some resemblance to the palms, because the leaves grow in whorls surrounding the stem. At a little distance it looks like a tall black native, with a spear in his hand, ornamented with a tuft of rushes. On the spear is found a clear transparent gum, and from the lower part of the stem oozes a black gum, which makes a powerful cement, and is used by the natives to fasten the stone heads upon their hammers. The tops of the leaves furnish all kinds of cattle with excellent fodder, and their bases can be eaten, and are not to be despised by the hungry traveller. The people of New South Wales beat off the heads of these singular plants, by striking them about the top of the trunk with a large stick. They then strip off the outer leaves, and cut away the inner ones, leaving about an inch and a half of the white tender portion joining the trunk. This portion they eat raw or roasted, and it is very nice in flavour, having a milky and a slightly aromatic taste. |