The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-12-24

cline for want of RAIN. seldom ioul
is seen Late in the month wafer
melons. mUskmelons. cantaloupes, etc.
a.n.ear on the pains. Wa.ruts and
bIackberrieS are ripe First crop OF
figs. Honey in the Jordan valley.
June-F'igs cherries, plums. DANA
scenes. Heritage becoming parched-
.<oq7aG Arabs began to more north
ward with their ho2F1s. Olives, almonds,
figs. guavas plantain fruit and bana-
mas a few grapes are ripe. Season :or
distilIing rose water.
JuIy-Abundance of pears, nectarines.
peaches, gra pes, melons, potatoes, egg
plants Prickly pear or cactus fruit
rine. Corn harvest on the mountains.
Grapes ripe. Heat and no rains.
August-AlI fruits mature. The olive
berries ready to be picked. Clear skies
and no rains
September-No water in the streams
Grapes, olives, pomegrantes, pears,
plums, citron, peaches. tomatoes, pota-
toes. Hemp in bloom. Cloudy weather
at the end of the month.
OctOber-SometiTnes rain falls. Heat
abates. Latter grapes gathered. Mil
let sown, sometimes wheat and bar
ley. Garden esculents planted Radish-
es and lettuce.
November - Rainy season. Cold
nights Deciduous trees denuded. Vim
tage terminates, and wine-making be-
gins
December-CoId on the mountains.
Grain and herbs spring up. East winis
bring mist and boar frost. Earth cloth
ed with verdure Wheat and barley
still sOwn. Dates ripe.
NATURAL HISTORY.
The animal, bird, insect and .eptile
life of the Holy Land continues this
long chain of resemblance. The urSa
major of the Sierran crags has a
cousin among the snowy heights of
Hermon and Lebanon. Deer ale ;uund
in Palestine wherever grass and water
may be had. AntelopeS are SEEN in
small herds on the level plains, patti
cularly in the Jordan valley. A badg-
er identical with our own species lives
among the rocks. The presence of foxes
and rabbits has already been remark
ed.
AS to birds, there may be named the
crane, cuckoo, wild dove, eagle, hawk,
heron, kite. lapwing, nighthawk, quail,
pelican, pigeon, raven, sparrow, swan
and vulture. all of which are common
CROUCH from one end of California 20
the other.
Familiar insects also infest the Holy
Land, and the Bible is full of illusions
to them The ant-she of the genus
Formica, a builder of ground nests-is
met with on the sandy soil Of both
the old and new world Palestines, ard
the sluggard of both countries may
consider her ways and be wise. Other
insects are the beetle, the grasshoppcT,
one of the flying, creeping things that
go about on all tours, which have legs
above their feet to leap Withal upon
the earth;' the gnat honey bee and
hornet: the moth which doth corrupt
and last the insect of which it is writ
ten: THE King of Israel has come
out to seek flea as when one doth
hunt a partridge in the mountains
Where is there a Californian who can
not sympathize with the majesty OF
Israel in his diligent pursuit?
ARCHITECTURE AND PEOPLE.
The native architecture of Palestine,
so far as it concerns dwellings, is the
simple, box-shaped adobe form, such
as the Moors introduced to Spain, the
Spaniards to Mexico and California.
The town of Nazareth, at the time of
the Nativity was a settlement of low,
square, whitened houses, built on mar
row streets, with here and there a date
palm bending it's headdress of plumes
above a well. The humble village glis-
tening in the sunshine amid its HOVER
ing fields, was a prototype of any OF
the Southern California settlements of
sixty years ago. When an Indian girl
went down the dusty path from one
of the adobe hamlets of our own pas
toral California, with an ola poised on
her head, the Israelitish Rebecca bear
ing her water ever in the same way
was seen once more in the flesh. AS
the patient burro passed along the
road, burdened with the spoil of hus-
bandry and goaded by his sWarthy
master, there rose UP the vision OF
| long ago, when the ass of Palestine
trudged his weary way bearing sheaves
and wine skins.
OF all regions of the western hemls-
phere California alone can realize, in
its natural environments, the scenes OF
the first Christmas. Here on the night
that celebrates the birth of the Savior
shepherds will watch their 1ocks UNI
der skies as soft as those which
Graded the star of Bethlehem. Here,
as in the land and on the day of the
nativity. palm plumes will wave, the
olive leaves will rustic in the fragrant
winds, pomegranates VIII blush ami
their foliage, the lilies of me field viii
raise their gentle faces to the bending
heavens and in the carol Of The lark
will ring perhaps some sweet Totes of
the Christmas anthem that sang of
peace and hope to all mankind.--Fron
the San Francisco Chronicle
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