NACEA.--The bamboo cane, a gigantic grass, cultivated
in many tropical and semitropical countries. The Chinese use it in
one way or other for nearly everything they require. Almost every
article of furniture in their houses, including mats, screens,
chairs, tables, bedsteads, and bedding, is made of bamboo. The
masts, sails, and rigging of their ships consist chiefly of
bamboo. A fiber has been obtained from the stem suitable for
mixing with wool, cotton, and silk; it is said to be very soft
and to take dyes easily. They have treatises and volumes on its
culture, showing the best soil and the seasons for planting and
transplanting this useful production.

58. BAUHINIA VAHLII.--The Maloo-climber of India, where the gigantic
shrubby stems often attain a height of 300 feet, running over the
tops of the tallest trees, and twisting so tightly around their
stems as to kill them. The exceedingly tough fibrous bark of this
plant is used in India for making ropes and in the construction of
suspension bridges. The seeds form an article of food; they are
eaten raw, and resemble cashew nuts in flavor.

59. BEAUCARNEA RECURVIFOLIA.--This Mexican plant is remarkable for the
large bulbiform swelling at the base of the stem. It is a plant of
much elegance and beauty, resembling a drooping fountain.

60. BERGERA KOENIGII.--The curry-leaf tree of India. The fragrant,
aromatic leaves are used to flavor curries. The leaves, root, and
bark are used medicinally. The wood is hard and durable, and from
the seeds a clear, transparent oil, called Simbolee oil, is
extracted.

61. BERRYA AMMONILLA.--This furnishes the Trincomalee wood of the
Philippine Islands and Ceylon, and is largely used for making oil
casks and for building boats, for which it is well adapted, being
light and strong.

62. BERTHOLLETIA EXCELSA.--This furnishes the well known Brazil nuts,
or cream nuts of commerce. The tree is a native of South America
and attains a height of 100 to 150 feet. The fruit is nearly round
and contains from eighteen to twenty-four seeds, which are so
beautifully packed in the shell that when once removed it is found
impossible to replace them. A bland oil is pressed from the seeds,
which is used by artists, and at Para the fibrous bark of the tree
is