The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-17
ALGTERS AND IT'S GASES.
oRlRws or TBs FERTILE sPors ~
SIHIRA's WIDE DESERT sPACEa


| Tree-Chsrsetsrt.tie. % the Berber..
AIorrps. Dec. a-Ths bag Of Alelers seems
TO have absorbed and condensed In it's bosom
the wide med blue Of the Mediterranean IL
Ia OF the deepest azure. into which are woven
sparkling silver threads GllsteninG In the
glowing sunlight. Bending over the besuti-
fol expanse are superposed terraces OF white
villas, leafy gardens quaint mosques, and
rose-tinted houses intersected by the bloom
ing olesnders that are the glory Of Algeria
hut after all, the charm OF these regions does
not lie in the Cities however picturesque but
in the route between them across the desert.
with Its surprises. Its shifting sights. and the
splendor Of It's vegetation suddenly starting
in patches from the wastes OF sand
Crossing the plateau and the mountains OF
Southern Atlas. IL IL possible to pass In one
short day from the plains OF the sea to the
plains Of the desert, equally boundess and
equally undulatinR. The GorRss OF FL Kantara
are the gates OF the kingdom Of palm trees.
and Biskra IL fast becoming much visited
watering place on the strength OF lite thermal
springs. These localities must inevitably in
| given time become az hackneyed as the old
European summer resorts; not so the region
OF Oued Rls, with it's wealthy oasis and natural
artesian springs stretching as far as Tourgouf.
the capital OF the province. n genuine Saharan
city Thence tho Mediterranean sesboard can
be reached again by the circular route Of the
Souf and the great sand dunes.
The road from Biskra to Tourgouf-whatever
| it may become in tlme-was q mere trail
| formed by the passage Of caravans Of camels
that from time memorial have crossed the
| desert, on whose footsteps more modern
methods OF conveyance have gradually fol-
lowed without necessitating any further
change The soil Of the track Is oozy. Shiny.
uniformly level; at intervals in the distance
| sombre spots Of verdurs standing out against
| fax NJ MI m daap rt RI nj v
| ible. and In the rear the mountains Of Aures
| rear their crests bathed in q lisht which 10
| sometimes rose-red. sometimes OF pale violet
| hue. In front stretches the green expanss
covered only twenty-five years ago By thioh
| forests OF taadas. sbelterng wild bears. and
to-day transformed into the grazing pastures
Of the camels belonging to the nomadlo tribes
| Of the locality.
| The pastures are here and there interseotod
by arabic ground fairly cultivated. Every year
in the spring the land 10 fertllized by the over
flow Of the rising waters Of the River oued
| Djidd flowing from the west This river u
crossed with some difficulty. and beyond IL the
road. such as It is ascends almost imperoepti~
bly, to plateau sometimes rocky. sometimes
| sandy. where . scanty. stuntsd. and dusty
| vegetation appears at intervals. Offering the
common type OF the "saharnn steppes" Tho
| way Is long and monotonops relieved only By
| the rapid flight OF Q herd OF startled GaEellas.
the meeting with . caravan coming In the CD.
| posite direction. and the silence and solitude
are made even more oppressive BY the rare
| scream Of wild bird or the dismal howl OF an
| unseen iackal
| On reaching the southern extremity OF tho
| plateau one 10 amazed at finding oneself ON
the summit Of high Cliff dropping some 5v0
| feet into the lands below. At the foot OF this
| ACTIVITY appears what seems TO be q bound
less moving sheet Of water with hotilla OF
-. A.
s smps 81, near s, ane horizon hne. On
only common effect Of the mirage mir and +.
lake now dried up whose lower DEPTHS are Gov.
cred with thin dim Of .taGnant water Far on
the eye can d!mly discover the faint outline OF
the &C, G.si. Of ousa Ris; This I: reached a'ts.s
rapid desoentto the shores OF the Chote which.
the aspect Of being powdered with snow under
a s,orshin, ann Tban nIant.,ions -, ,onna
European trees. growing more frequent. re-
fresh the weary traveller. and henceforth as
far as Tour9ouf the routs lies for many mile.
on a track intersected by hamlsts. palm
tho ,r,u:a a u, ,Sa dssas, Sas t,',S
Touraoui IA the pssissncs OF o, the ina,Sanou.
Agha governing the district under tho orders
Of the superior commander at Biskra. His
Is rn6 hss 1S
tourists. With population Of about ., 900 i'm
est; Il is a com m ercial station. the great date
market Of the Algerian Sahara, and Its impor-
lance cannot fall 10 be MATERIALLY increased "A
soon as the facilities OF transport to Bisfrs are
established by q working line Of rail-.
The oAsis in the Oued Iiis oonsists m ainIv Of
palm trees sheltering other trees. There are
more than $50 900 palm trees and about 100
900 fruit treas The date palm IN the GRAFT
nutritIye product and Feeding medium Of the
Sahara; without it the blaine would be- eyery-
where desert: Fortunately it reouirsa Tor
It's perfect maturity and the prime auaiity az
its fruit those very conditions which the "a.
hara alone possessss-torrid heat IN ann,
mer and an Intense drynsss OF the AFR Ia
thrjyes in the most arid soil hut it must have
water and plenty az it al it, roots And this
is the siaauiarity OF the Sahara. aptly called
the land OF thirst that IL conceaIs treasures Oh
LITIGATION and that H ia only on thess snots
where the treasure can be easily obtained that
the cIusters OF palms are found
There are male and female date palms, the