Cañon City record., 1901-01-10
PRINCE OF PLANTS.
THE PALM IS A HOLY TREE TO
MANY RACES
Date-Pnim of Gases Gives Refreshing
Shade. Fruits and nnk-Has Won the
Affection of the Natives and AdmIr.-
ton of Travellers v

The palm is q holy tree to many
races. To the Mohammedans the
date-palm is sacred as the fruit which
Adam was permitted to bring with
hin out Of Eden; by the Christian all
palms are revered as having furnished
the leaves which were strewn in the
path OF the Messiah The date-palm,
well known rs the Prince OF Palms."
Is regarded as the prince OF all plants.
A single stem. straight and slender.
rises to height of sixty. or even sew
enty-nve feet. perfeetiy bare, unbroken
by single branch or leaf. At the ton
only an immense plume OF feathery
leaves. growing in a bunch. forms. so
to speak. the capital of the vegetable
column. This tuft may be from nine
to twelve feet long. and at the base
OF Its long leaves appear the fruits Of
me palm tree Originally a native OF
Araeia and Northern Africa. the date
palm is prs-eminenuy the tree of the
desert. where 1t grows In nearly every
oasis. and by Its refreshing shade. its
fruiu. Its milk. and Its general use
fuiness. has won the affection OF the
natives and the admiration Of all trav-
elers- The date is indeed the true
friend OF the desert: there alone II
ripens It's fruit. and without II the Sa-
hara would be uninhabitable. Arabic
poetry loves to praise 1t as a living
being created By God on the sixth day
OF ereatioup-at the same time with
man-to convey an idea of the condi-
tons which It thrives- The Saharasa
use bold but expressive figure: The
King Of the OASIS they say. must
plunge his feet in the water and his
head In the fre of heaven" Dates can
endure dry and short cold as low rs
Is degrees above zero. and a hsa, OF
l22 degrees The radiating sand Of
the desert COOKS OF more readily than
the air. and preserves at a certain
depth degree OF freshness which in
vigorates the roots OF the trees Rain
ie rare in the Sahara: Il falls only in
winter. and woos the withsred plants
TO a new life. Sometimes II rains In
torrents. but these gusts are OF short
duration At Fongourt and onargla
whole years pass without a drop Of
rain Hence the very natural admira-
ton and affection which u evinced by
the Arab for this tree. with its sweet
fruits. which grows in the sand. fed
by brackish waters. that would be
fatal TO almost all other plants-which
remains nourishinE and green when
all around Ia burnt up by the fierce
rays OF the pitiless sun-which rssists
the winds that may bend its plant
plume to the ground. but cannot break
Its strong stem. composed OF inter
laced nbers. nor tear It from the soii.
TO which IL clings by a thousand roots
which strike deep and defy the tom
pest II has we'll been said that
single tree has rcopled the desert. and
upon 1t alone is based a civilization.
rudimentary. compared to our own.
but far advanced beyond the merely
natural state. Its fruits are in de-
mand throughout the whole world.
suficisnt to procure all necessary i'm
ports. and not only make the Arabs
independent but afiuent The tufts
of palm-trecA form . kind OF vast par
asol. under which the air can eircu-
late. but the sun 10 unable to pierce
the dsnse canony of lsavsa