The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-04-30

springs, some Of which have a tenn
perature above 90 degrees F'ahren-
heit. Those springs come out Of
plateau in the middle Of the oasis
and their waters are conducted by un-
forest, covering an area greater than
that Of eighty 160-acre farms. | rode
miles with my soldiers in going in and
out among the plantations and ! am
told that their number is close To a
| million.
The oasis Of Figuig is not AT all like
the oasis of 'faria which also visited
during a thirty-mile horseback ride
over the desert from Benz Oun,f
Iarila IS one Of many GASES which
spot here and there the branches 81
the Wadv Saoora. 1t is found on the
Sousfane river which unites with the
Wady Cir near Igell to form the
Saoora, the latter flowing from there
on southward and finally feeding tne
oaseS Of Tuat. From here to Igell, 2
distance Of more than hundred
miles, the river flows 50 far below the
surface that there IS no vegetation
whatever.
Just east Of Fi2uig the Sousfanc
comes to the surface IN trlckllnS
/ stream, and the result IS scattered
i GASES covering distance Of several
/ miles. These oaSes are 50 narrow IL
places that one could throw a stone
I over them They are often not more
! than one hundred feet wide. broaden
/ ing out to three hundred feet or more
4 in some places Even there the river
4 bed is often dry, but little pools OF
water now and then come to the sur
! face, and near them are date trees
growing out Of the dry sand, most OF
which are loaded with fruit.
At Tarla such palms run up ana
down the river bed for eight or ten
miles | rode at least six miles
through them and that under bunch
! eS of ripe dates all the way. l stopped
near a mud village, which was IN
i habited not long ago, but which IS
/ now deserted except at times of hafV
est It's people have moved across the
desert to Figuig in order that tleE
i may be better protected from th''
I brigandS of the desert, although the.}
/ still own and cultivate their little date
! farms and when the crop is ripe come
back to their mud huts and mul
| towers to watch them.
The Vegetation of the Sahara.
The Arabs say that if you will thrust
4 a stick into the desert and water <
YOU will soon have tree. | can east
iy believe this to be SO. The sands
of the Sahara are wonderfully fertile,
and if they could al be Watered this
would be the garden spot of the globe
AS it is, the rainfall the whole re
gion over does not average more imam
five inches per year. Ihefe are Ger
tain places on the highlands, however.
which have occasional rains, and ut
certain seasons the water falls there
for several days, oft and on When
this occurs vegetation springs up 'S
though by magic. The ground IS car
peted with grass and there are Wild
flowers of many kinds. The Arabs
know of these regions and they go
there With their flocks of sheep ana
goats to pasture, coming away Wiieii
tho grass disappears.
on my way to Tarla | rode through
patches of thorn bushes scattered at
wide distances apart. Such vegetation
is found all along this part or tne
Sousfane, the moisture not DellS SUI
ficient for anything else. There Vas
a drove Of camels feeding on the
thorn bushes as | rode by ana /
stopped and made photographs 81
them Nearer the dry river bed Wnere
! the moisture Was greater We're thlck
lunches OF alta grass and other de-
sert plants and flowers, and then cathe
| the region Of date trees. The palllls
| were of all sizes. Some We're JuSl
! sproutng and others were as hiSn "a
my head. Others We're 50 tan 49,, -,
their Arab owner had to climb them
to cut off the bunceS Of dates, Whicl
| always grow at the top.
\ Vast Bed of Fertilizer.
The soil of the Sahara is not like
| that of any country where rain IS conn
mon. Indeed, the lack of ram Is one
cause of its great fertility. othef ianus
are leached by the water, ana tle
brooks and streams carry a great part
Of their potash and other fertilizlng
matter out to the sea. rms Is not 50
here. The rocks may disintegrate more
slowly, but the Weatherlng goes on an
the same There is no place Whefe the
changes of temperature are more SUD
den and marked. The sun Is req not
during the day, but when 1t sets 1t
becomes bitterly cold and blankets are
by 10 means uncom1ortaple. l "iNst ~ :
carry an oVercoat IN my flueS oN q
the desert for / find that l need L.
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 slrocGo
9 blows the sand cuts ones lace.
: dashes the sharp, grains asalnSt lhe
: rocks and grnds them down, Withou'
the action of water. so that all the
| rich fertilzing materials lie where
q they fall
$ The oases will grow almost any
: thing that is grown in California. They
4 have luscious oranges, grapes. melons
: and olives and also apples. peaches
} pomgranates and pears. In the nortn
q ern Sahara they produce great quanti
| ties of wheat, barley, millet and sor
u ghum, and in the south TOBACCO ans
k cotton. / see eggplants, onions. toma
Il toes and cucumberS for sale in tn
IS markets. together with peas. beans
it turnins and carrots. The chief product
'v however, is dates
Millions of Date Palms.
:t The date palm thrives throughon
Is tba sahara if it can only have water
te If is like wheat in our country; IN
~ money crop of every oasis ana IN
q chief support Of the people. indeed
IN an oasis is known not by the numb
al Of its inhabitants. but by the numbe
p of date palms it contains, ana II
re Inhabitants are rich or poor accordln
a. as the dates produced are good or II
different. 1t is the date crop that leao
the caravans and It is the food of II
n people. The date is, in fact, the brea
ng of the desert; in some places the PEI
in pie eat little else, and dates are Il
he to the camels and even TO dogs. sue
.ot dates are not like those we have