Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-04-27

/ now ana tnen come to the surface. and
near them are date trees growing otIt
| ed with fruit. 'V''''
AT Tarln such palms run up and
DOWN the river bed for eight or lO miles.
| | rode at least six miles through then,
and that under punches OF rine dates
AZ the way ! stopped near nl,lJ
village, which was Inhabited not long
ago, Dut which is now deserted eSccnt
az ,ltleS ol harvest. Its people have
| moved across the desert to TigtiIsr In ar
der that they may he better protected
from the brigands of the desert. al
thouSh they still own ana cpltivato
thelr Nttle date farms ana when The
| crop Is ripe come back 10 their mid
! nue. ana and mud towers to watch
THE VEGETATION OF SAHARA.
| The Arabs say that If you win thrust
/ stick MO the desert and water il YOU
| ~ soon nave Il tree. I can easily be-
| IleEe ms TO he so; The sands OF the
sahara arc wonderfully fertile, and IN
| ,hey could all he wGtered this Nyould
ee tne garden SPOT OF the globe AS It
~ lhe ItlhIall the whole region over
! docs not average more than five inches
Ier year There are certain uIaces
/ On the highlands, however, which have
, occssioAal r1lhs and at certain sea.
sons ne water falls there for several
udy OF and on When this occurs vepe
1atloh springs UP as though by magic.
Ahe ground rs carpeted with grass and
TieIF ufS Wild flowers OF many kinds.
lhe Arabs Know OF these regions ana
Ihey go there VITA their docks OF sheep
.lliu goats TO pasture, coming away
Nhef the grass disa ppears
On my way to Tarla ! rode through
patches or thorn bushes scattered at
Woe distances apart Such vegetation
- - louIla all along this part OF the Sous
saAe, tne moisture not being sufficient
TOT anything else, There was q drove
o. Gamers feeding on the thorn bushes
~ rode py and | stopped and made
IhptogIaphs OF them. Nearer the dry
NV et osl where the moisture was
sIeateI We're thick punches OF alta grass
%,iI ClleF desert plants and flowers,
. T,lu lhsli came the region of date trees,
as nay head Others were en- taIi thst
Intlr ARAB owner had to climb Them to
CUT or the punches OF dates, which al
ways grow a the top.
4 VAST RJ-I, OF rrrpTrt77s,p
va = lLlAt-N'
The soil of the Sahara is moi like
that of any country Nhere vain =.
common. Indeed. the lack of rain is
one cause Of it's great fartilStv Crher,
l0Dds are leached by the yetor anC
the brooks and streams carry n great
part OF their potash and other rerttI.
izing matter out to the sea. This ia
e ero, ~ ne, nSrs' Ine rocks may disinte-
ing goes on all the Same. There Is
no place where the changes OF tenn
peratuTc are more sudden and mark
cd The sun is red hot during the
day but when it sets 1t becomes bit
'erly cold and blankets are by no
means uncomfortable, always carry
an overcoat In my rides over the des-
ers ior 1 and that ] need 1t.
The changes are such that the rocks
split and crumble under them. The
desert winds are as strong as those of
the sea, and when the slrocc0 blows
the sand cuts ones face. 1T dashes
inc sharp grains against the rocks
and erinds them down, without the
aCllon of water. so that all tho rich
teriillzIng materials lie where they
iall,
The GASES wiz grow almost auytl,in,
that is GROWN In California. They
nave luscious oranges, grapes, melons
and olives, and also apples, peaches,
pomesranltes and pears. In the
northern Sahara they produce great
Quantities OF wheat, barley, miIlet and
sorghum and in the south tobacco
and cotton I see eggplants. onions.
tomatoes and cucumbers for sale IN
me markets, together with peas.
Deans turnlps and carrots, The chief
80 40 u"'es
AZ .
The date palm thrlves throughout
the sahara IL il can only have water.
It Is like wheat in our country: the
money crop OF every oasis and the
chlel support or lhe people, Indeed,
an oasS Is known, not by the number
OF its inhabitants, but by the number
OF date palms 1t contains. and its In
habttants are rich or poor according
az The dates produced are good or
ihulttereht IL is the date crop that
loads the caravans, and il is the food
OF the people The date is. IN fact,