The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-09-04
THE DATE PALM.


.BEItts Iii 1iV'ti 4'A-N -
regions Of the tropic of Cancer, from
the Atlantic Ocean to the valley OF
the Indus, between degrees Y and
81 N. lat. Throughout this immense
space it is, with the bamboo in East
ern Asia and the coooanut in the
equatorial regions, tie most precious
Gift of nature to man, for it contrib
utes to all his most essential wants,
food clothing, lodging, cooking uten-
sils, DC.
The date is the special tree Of the
Saharan regions. It's constitution,
temperament, and habits particularly
suit to the African climate, which is
especially characterized by the def
cheney of rain and the digressions of
temperature. Its fruit is the source
of sustenance for the nomad or sed-
entary people scattered over its i'm
mense countries. 1t is the most COM
mon tree in all the valley Of the Nile,
and is found in greatly increasing
numbers from the village Of Ibrim IN
Lower Nubia to the Mediterranean.
The dates of Upper Egypt and the
Oasis are the most delicate. They
are not left to ripen on the tree. At
ter being gathered and exposed sew
eral days to the sun they get ripe,
and are then very fine and sweet
fruit. The date palm has from two
or six to twelve or fourteen spadices.
When these are too numerous it be-
comes requisite to remove some in
order that the tree may not be weak
ened or thrown down by the weight
Of the punches, and the fruit being
too numerous would not be of such
good quality. -Four hundred weight
of dates have been gathered from
one tree in Egypt
Although the countries where the
date hourishes best arc characterized
by an absence OF rain, it will not fruit
without its roots are we'll watered,
Hence there is a native proverb that
the date must have its head in toe
fire and it's roots in the water, prov
ing the necessity of frequent irriga-
ton.
The date palm cultivated and at
tended to from time immemoriaI,
has produced in the hands of the ma
tives as many varieties as our most
carefully cultivated fruit tree. There
are reckoned not less than ninety va
rieties of dates in the Ziban. DIR. Ed
ward Vogel, who paid considerable
attention to this subject, writing from
Murzuk, i'll Feddan, gives list OF
thirty -soven kinds, wlth full descrip-
tons and figures, in "Bonplandia."
The largest land what appears to be
the beat) is 21I lines long and 10 in
diameter; the smallest p by 5. The
Arabs enumeratc thirty distinct
varieties The different dates are Of
almost every color except pure white
and black. There arc not, as is the
Gaze with our apples and pears, early
and late sorts, but all arrive at ma
thrifty at pretty much about the same
period RESTRICTED to within a fort
night,) which fails in Fezzan about
the latter part Of August, in other
parts one or more months later. Be
sides those destined for home con-
sumption in the country, dates OF SUI
perior quality are gathered, and, after
being prepared with great care, fetch
a higher price in the market OF Eu-
rope. Several Partisan merchants
within the last few years have given
importance to this trade, by proceed
ing each year to the seat Of produc-
ton in Algeria, and preparing on the
spot, by special modes, large quantl-
ties of dates, ior France, which re-