The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-08-03
The Date Palm.
From the Boston EUening Transcript.

%T0"e "te ID oStOn EceDan9 transcript.
The date palm is hardy tree, as
are all the species of palms, and -four.
ishes throughout an immense space
in the countries where it is grown,
embracing wide area, lying between
and running from 12o to 57o ofnorth
latitude.
1T has been introduced successfully
into Southern Europe, and thrifty
specimens :may be seen growing in
England, without apparent injury
from the rigor OF that climate. There
are fine specimens of this valuable
tree III the gardens at St. Augustine
and at Key West, Florida, and in
Louisiana, near New Orleans, in Wig
orous growth, and perfecting their
fruit, which is evidence that this
palm will grow elsewhere in the
United States in lautudes and cons
ditious of climate similar to those of
its native countries.
Contributing, as it does, to many
OF the essential wants of man, it is
not only one of the most useful, but
also one OF the. most picturesque
and beautiful, trees in the vegetable
kingdom.
The date palm, according to botan-
lists PhOe1aic dactyltera, is cultivated
in immense quantities all over the
northern part of Africa, ana more
sparingly In Western Asia and
Southern Europe; and in some OF
these countries its fruit, though only
known to us as an article of luxury,
affords the principal tood7of a large
proportion Of inhabitants, and Likes
wise of the various domestic animals
horses, dogs, sheep, COWS and cam
els being alike partial to it.
The tree usually grows about sixty
or eighty feet high, and lives to a
great age, trees of from 100 to 200
years old continuing to produce their
annual crop OF dates. Numerous
varieties are recognized by the Arabs,
and are distinguished by different
names, according to their shape, size,
quality and time of ripening. The
fruit, however, is not the most valu-
able part of this widely dispersed
tree, for, as with the cocoanut tree in
its native country, nearly every part
is applied to some useful purpose.
Bags, mats, couches, brushes and the
huts of the poorer classes are con>
structed of its leaves. The fibre sur
rounding the bases OF their stalks is
used for making coarse cloths,
the stalks themselves tor crates
baskets, brooms, walking sticks, ETC..
and the wood for building substantial
houses. The heart of young leaves
is eaten as vegetable. The sap
affords an Intoxicating beverage,
though, to obtain it, the tree is often
destroyed; and even the hard and
prarently useless stones are ground
into food tor cattle.
The stem of the tree, which is
straight and simple, reaches height
of sixty feet, and bears head offorty
to eighty sea-green, feather-shaped,
leaves of eight to ten feet long. This
palm being diecious, that is, the
stamens and pistils, or male and fe-
male parts, occurring in the flowers
of different trees, the crops fail, or
the fruit is unfit for food and worth>
less if the fertilization is in any way
prevented. To insure this, it was an
early custom of the Arabs to hang
clusters of male flowers on the trees
which bore only the female ones
And thus the date palm was one OF
those trees which led to the knowl-
edge OF the sexes OF plants.