Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-04-20

they bear dates. The trees are about
eight inches in diameter, and they
seem TO carry an even thickness from,
the ground upward. The highest were
Judge not over 20 feet tall. AT the
top they branch out in great fan like
green leaves, and from the roots OF tho
leaves hang the clusters OF red and
yellow dates, The fruit is long flat
and smooth, and OF much the same
shape as butternut with the shell
ON. saw many clusters any one OF
which, / am sure, held a half bushel OF
dates. and MOI a few trees bore a half
dozen clusters or more. Some of the
dates are now ripe and we ate them
fresh from the trees. They are as sweet
as honey and their flavor cannot he
imagined by those who have only tast-
ed the mushy black dates of our gro
Gerry stores
Under these palms, apricots, peaches.
pears, pomegranates and other such
fruits were growing: and below them
In some places We're vegeta bles, three
crops being produced on the same soil
mt the same time,
outside the date plantations Were tln-
irrigated fields in which grain had been
planted to take advantage of the slight
rainfall which comes here near the
mountains during certain months of
the year, 1 believe that these fields
are also given some water from the
springs
The LUMBER OF THE GASES.
AS we went on with our tourney we
could see how important the date palm
rs 10 these people OF the desert. III ia
thelr bread. tlrewood and lumber. The
bitches here and there crossed the
streets and In such cases there were
bridges of palm wood 1 observed
the doors which go into the walls of the
cate gardens. Each has but one and
that not higher than my waist. In
DEED some doors are so low that the
common razor back hog would lose
ms bristles II he should try TO go
through them. These gates are of
palm planks; they are sawed out by
hand and pegged rudely together. The
date tree forms the pillars which up-
hold the house roofs, 1t is used as
beams and rafters and it is made into
ladders for the watch towers These
towers are Of mud brick, but there
rs more or less palm wood in them,
and the platforms on which the spies
SIT at time of date harvest to guard
the crop against thieves, are of the
same material.
was much Interested in the palm
.rees. They look ragged and rough,
On the taller trees there are no leaves
Except AT the top, and l am told that
ZACH ring of bark represents a wears
growth. # this is true many OF the
'aIms must be a century old. They
'esin 10 bear at 10 or IL years and yield
Tops thereafter every two years. The
lates here are not els good as those of
ONE other parts OF the Sahara. There
re better ones in Tuat. In Touguyt and
y Blskra- I shall learn more about
hem as j 20 on with my travels.
VILLAGE REPUBLIC OF FIGurG
Stranger even than the palm trees are
he people of this out -of-the- way land,
Zach OF these GASES has its own little
'illage, and every little desert settle
nent Is a community OF it's own kind,
ne villages OF Figuig are seven. The
rst and largest contains more than
uuo people, 1t is known as zenaga.
he next largest is Ell Oudagahlr, and
ne third is El Abid, which ] have de- |
crlbed as having the hot springs and
s furnishing water for the greater part 4
the Figuig plantations. In addition
these villages there are four Others.
hey are named Ell Maiz Foukani, Ell |
laiz Tahtanl, El Hamnan Foukanl
nd El Hamman 1ahtani.
These seven Figuig villages have al
oSether about 1900 inhabitants. They
re separate towns, but together corr
tute little United States OF their
Tn. with Il congress but no president.
ach village governs itself and conf
on council OF the combined villages
1verns the cases. The village govern
enfs each consist OF council Of II
embers, five OF whom arc land own
s and IL OF whom are Iaborers. They
e all elected by the people OF the viii
sc. Three members Of each council
e elected to n general council OF II,
HIGH passes only upon matters which
late to the whole corporation OF Fig
&, The village councils regulate all
ings affecting their respective viii
ges They appoint the local judges
peace and war with villages outside
guig. these are dealt with by the
SEES council, and the same body regu-
les all matters regarding the water
pply-
IN Ell ABID.
But come with me and look at one OF
ese GASES communities. We shall 60
rough the town OF FL Abid. observ-
: some OF the things saw there this
.ernOon- The municipality contains
out 1000 souls, but II Is nothing like
y town OF that size IN our country.
the first place doubt whether 1t
Vers more than 20 acress and. as ona
ks at 1t through the palm trees, no
IS only the mud walls which inclose
with the fiat rooted, windowless mud
lldngs rising here and there above
IN,
We enter the town by gate In the
II. II is not over 10 feet high and
i've five feet In width, and 1t IS shut
-
m