The Arizona sentinel., 1878-04-20
The Date Palm
&c "a ciltivation of this Va
: CPHGN1x DAcT1L1rERA. J.

AS the cultivation OF this valu-
able tree is to be fried on the San
Diego Desert, we quote the follow
ing from the Florida Agricultur-
ist:
IN the lot and arid regions Of its notiyi-
/ y, i grows 10 = height Of sixty feet, and
dourisnes in this State 70 the 29th degree
/ of latitude, where It's fruit, ike al Key
Vest-lattude 25-is Of Inferior quality
It's branches somewhat resemble the CO.
coaupt palm in general appearance, and
exc about ten fo9y long, with leaves TWO
feet long and one and a half inches broad
Its trunk docs not shed It's Ieai-stAlhs Ike
/ the cocoanut and other palm trees It
produces its fruit upon long stems, that
issue from its trunk, At the top OF the leaf
stalks, s0mewha. similar 70 the Palmetto
Palm The flowers Of both sexes, which
grow on separate trees, are covered with
sheath which ogeas and witdeTs- Those
q The male trees have six stmens, with
a2rrow, four co-nered an:aers, filled win
pollen. The female flowers have round
/ ish germ, which afterwards becomes an
/ oval berry, with thick nutritious pulp,
enclosing 2 hard, o1lopg stone a single
tree VII. produce, WREN grown il L climate
and soil that IS natural, from one 10 three
hundred pounds Of this fguit in the season.
They come INFO bearing in their native
country, according to Hun5oldt, il ten
/ years and in this state (Florida) from TWEEN
| ty years o. age. and are fruitful for up
ward e TWO hundred years. Being die
cious (snaia and female flowers not on same
pl2nt), The cro2a are liable % entirely fail,
Or the fruit 70 be worthless, i TIC fecunda-
ton is IL any way prevented The male
flowers VIII keep during the year, and #
shaken over the female 1owers, at The
time q opening, inpregrauon willre2dly
take effect In the East, says Won Ma-tius.
the date tree has e~er been considered
TIC bene:actor Of mankind. The life Of The
wandering tribes in The desert circles
around this tree, and the Arabian poets as
cri5ed s,,cb high importance ittaat they
maintain tba. this noble tree was net form
Ell Win the other plants, bat from the
clouds which remained after the creation
Of Adam" The FeraIans euuu-erate1 three
hundred ana sixty attributes as peculiar
&c Iris palm, probably, with reference 70
,ha'c career Of the sun, for the tree Is con
secrated 10 the sun, and the fruit Of the
date Is called sun fruit (Belach) IN The
primitive mythology Of the Eiudocs We
! find various references TO this palm The
ra:i7e Land Of the date palm appears to
have been originally in the region along
The east side Of the Persian Gnlf, from
latitude q % g, from whence il has been
ai5trlopted in the earliest periods Of com
MERGE 10 Arabia, Eindoostan, and over
Inc whole Of North Africa. L reached
the West Indies at an early period. Italso
occurs IL the whole 0: Greece; and 10 par
ticglar.y abundant in the surrounding
islands, although it ripens It's fruits only
at Ea,am2tta in the Southern Mo-ea ana
that o. Door quality Dates constitute
the principal nutrment for man, horse and
camel, n Arabia, Persia and Egypt. From
TIE leaves are made baskets, bags, mats
ana brushes; the trunk Is employed in
erecting buildings and fo- fences, the
threads q the web-likc iategument &: the
base Of the leaves, are made into ropes;
TIE e-archy central part OF the trorH ID
edible, snd tie buds as We! Is the young
sboo.a. 8ce esteemed 3 delicate vegetable
Tie zap, which Is sweeHsh whcn FIST col
lcc:,t, is traaE e mild beverage, and ia
distilled INTO kind q spirit known as
e asr4cl," i Is obtained D. cutting OF
-Ae head C the tree, and scoop,ng out 4
hollow II the top Of the stem, where IN
ascending the sap lodges. Three or four
quartz ara obtained, daily, from q single
palm for teu 70 twelve days, after which
INC ouautity decreases until, al the END Of
Glx 6 eight weeks, the stem is exhausted,
; becomes dry and. IS used for fuel This
raln IS p-oDaEate5 from seed and suckers,
TIE seeds are found il the dr-ea sweet
de1es sold 1t fsuic-staads, and should be
.car.oE =, - -.., - p atnrn --l,nair,.