Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 7, ETM-GOA

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found near the fquamae, after the infeft has made a
hole in that place. The tree is very common in the
plains and fields of Lower Egypt. It buds in the
latter end of March, and the fruit ripens in the begin¬
ning of June. It is wounded or cut by the inhabi¬
tants at the time it buds; for without this precaution,
they fay it would not bear fruit.
3. The Religiofa, or Banian-tree, is a native of fe-
veral parts of the Eaft Indies. It hath a woody ftem,
branching to a great height and vaft extent, with heart-
fiiaped entire leaves ending in acute points. Of this
tree the following lines of Milton contain a defcription
equally beautiful and juft :
There foon they chofe
The fig tree ; not that tree for fruit renown’d,
But fuch ns, at this day to Indians known
In Malabar or Decan, fpreads her arms,
Branching fo broad and long, that in the ground
The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow
Ab( ut the mother tree, a pillar’d ftiade,
High over arch’d, and echoing walks between ;
There oft the Indian herdfman, ihunning heat,
Shelters in cool, and tends his pafturing herds
At loop-holes cut through thickeft fhade. ,
Pa it. Tost, Book ix. 1.1100.
The Banian-tree, or Indian fig, is perhaps the moft
beautiful of Nature’s produftions in that genial cli¬
mate, where (he fports with the greateft profufion and
variety. Some of thefe trees are of amazing fize and
great extent, as they are continually increafing, and,
contrary to moft other things in animal and vegetable
life, they feem to be exempted from decay. Every
branch from the main body throws out its own i-oots; at
firft, in fmail tender fibres, feveral yards from the ground:
thefe continually grow thicker until they reach the fur-
face ; and there linking in, they increafe to large trunks,
and become parent trets, (hooting out new branches
from the top : thcfe in time fufpend their roots, which,
fwelling into thinks, produce other branches; thus
continuing in a ftate of progreffion as long as the earth,
the firft parent of them all, contributes her fuftenance.
The Hindoos are peculiarly fond of the Banian-tree ;
they look upon it as an emblem of the Deity, from its
long duration, its out-ftretching arms, and overlhadow-
ing beneficence ; they almoft pay it divine honours, and,
“ Find a fane in every facred grove.”
Near thefe trees the moft efteemed pagodas are gene¬
rally ere&ed ; under their (hade the Brahmins fpend
their lives in religious folitude; and the natives of all
calls and tribes are fend of recreating in the cool recef-
fes, beautiful walks, and lovely villas of this umbra¬
geous canopy, impervious to the hotteft beams of a tro¬
pical fun.
A remarkable large tree of this kind grows on an
ifland in the river Nerbedda, ten miles from the city of
Baroche in the province of Guzerat, a flourilhing
fettlement lately in poffeffion of the Eaft India com¬
pany, but ceded by the government of Bengal, at the
treaty of peace concluded with the Mahrattas in 1783,
to Mahdajee Scindia a Mahratta chief. It is diftin-
guilhed by the name of Cubbeer Burr, which was gi¬
ven it in honour of a famous faint. It was once much
larger than at prefent; but high floods have carried
away the banks of the ifland where it grows, and wuth
them fuch parts of the tree as had thus far extended
their roots: yet what remains is about 2000 feet in
circumference, meafured round the principal items; the
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over-hanging branches, not yet ftruck down, cover a
much larger fpace. The chief trunks of this'fingle
tree (which in fize greatly exceed our Englilh elms and
oaks), amount to 350; the fmaller ftems, forming in¬
to ftronger fupporters, are more than 3000 ; and every
one of thefe is calling out new branches, and hanging
roots, in time to form trunks, and become the parents of
a future progeny. Cubbeer Burr is famed throughout
Hindoftan for its great extent and furpaffing beauty: the
Indian armies generally encamp around it; and, at Hated
feafons, folemn jatarras, or Hindoo feftivals, are held
there, to which tboufands of votaries repair from various
parts of the Mogul empire. It is faid that 7000 perfons
find ample room td repofe under it^ (hade. The Eng-,
lilh gentlemen, on their hunting and Ihootihg parties,
ufed to form extenfive encampments, and fpend weeks
together under this delightful pavilion, which is ge¬
nerally filled with greenwood pigeons, doves, peacocks,
and a variety of feathered fongllers; crowded with fami¬
lies of monkies performing their antic tricks; and (ha¬
ded by bats of a large fize, many of them meafuring up¬
wards of fix feet from the extremity of one wing to the
other. This tree not only affords Ihelter, but fufte-
xiance, to all its inhabitants, being .covered amid its
bright foliage with fmall figs of a rich fcarlet, on which
they all regale with as much delight, as the lords of
creation on their more collly fare in their parties.
Culture. The caricaisthe fpeciesof ficus moft frequent¬
ly cultivated in this country, and the only one which does
not require to be kept in a Hove. It may be propa¬
gated either by fuckers arifing from the roots by layers,
or by cuttings. The fuckers are to be taken off as
low down as pofiible ; trim off any ragged part at bot¬
tom, leaving the tops entire, efpecially if for ftand-
ards ; and plant them in nurfery-lines at two or three
feet diftance from each other,, or they may at once be
planted where they are to remain; obferving, that if
they are defigned for walls or efpaliers, they may be
headed to fix or eight inches in March, the more effec¬
tually to force out lateral (hoots near the bottom ; but,
if intended for ftandards, they muft not be topped,
but trained with a ftem, not lefs than 15 or 18 inches
for dwarf-ftandards, a yard for half-llandards, and
four, five, or fix feet for full ftandards. Then they mull
be fuffered to branch out to form a head ; obferving,
that, whether againft walls, efpaliers, or ftandards, the
branches or (hoots muft never be (hortened unlefs to
procure a neceffary fupply of wood: for the fruit is al¬
ways produced on the upper parts of the young (hoots;
and if thefe are cut off, no fruit can be expe&ed.—■
The bed feafon for propagating thefe trees by layers
is in autumn ; but it may be alfo done any time from
Gftober to March or April. Choofe the young pli¬
able lower (hoots from the fruitful branches: lay them
in the ufual way, covering the body pf the layers three
or four inches deep in the ground, keeping the top en¬
tire, and as upright as pofiible; and they will be root¬
ed and fit to feparate from the parent in autumn,; when
they may be planted either in the nurfery, or where
they are to remain, managing them as above dire&ed.
The time for propagating by cuttings is either in au¬
tumn at the fall of the leaf, or any time in March:
choofe well-ripened (hoots of the preceding fummer;
ftiort, and of robuft growth, from about 12 to 15
inches long; having an inch or two of the two-years
wood at their bafe, the tops left entire; and plant
F f 2 them
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