The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-21

great fan-like green leaves. and from
the roots of the leaves hang the clus-
ters OF red and yellow leaves. The
fruit is long, flat and smooth, and of
much the same shape as butternut
with the shell on. ! saw many clust-
ers, any one of which, am sure,
held a half-bushel of dates. and not
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.
ard their flavor cannot be imagined
by those who have only tasted the
mushy black dates of our grocery
stores.
Un1Ier these palms, apricots, peaches,
pears, pomegranates and other such
fruits were growing; and below them
in some places were vegetables. three
crops being produced on the same soil
at the same time.
Outside the date plantations were
unirrigated fields in which grain had
been planted to take advantage OF tn"
slight rainfall which comes here near
the mountains during certain months
of the year. ! believe that these fields
are also given some water from the
springs.
AS we went on with our journey,
we could see how important the date
Palm is to these people of the desert
1t is their bread. tirewood and lum-
Der. The bitches here and there
crossed the streets. and in such cases
there were bridges Of palm wood
observed the doors which go into the
walls of the date gardens. Each has
but one and that not higher than my
waist. Indeed, some doors are SO low
that the common razorback hog would
lose his bristles If 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
is 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
trees. They looked ragged and rough.
On the taller trees there are no leaves
except at the top, and I am told that
each ring of bark represents a years
growth II this is true. many of tho
palms must be a century old. They
begin to bear at ten or twelve years,
and yield crops thereafter every two
years. The dates here are not as good
90 tllooS VI oSlIlc sOLHcE+. pdIlS OIL lIle
Sahara. There are better ones in Tuat,
in Tougurt and in Biskra. shall
learn more, about them as / go on
with my travels.
The Village Republic of Figuig.
Stranger even than the palm trees
are the people of this out of the-way
land. EacE of these GASES has its own
little village, and every little desel
settlement is community OF It's own
Kind. The villages of Figuig are
seven.
The first and largest contains more
than 5000 people. It is known as
lenaga The next largest is Ell Ouda-
| gahir, and thegthird is Ell Abid which
have described as having the hot
! springs and as furnishing water FOR
| the Sreaterpart of the Figuing planta
lions. In addition to these villages
there are four others. They are named
El Maiz Foukani,, FL AIaiz Tahtani, Il
| Hamman Foukani and Ell Hannah
| Tahtani 5
! These seven Figuig villages have al
| together about $4,000 inhabitants They
are separate towns, but together con-
\ stitute little United States of their
own, with Congress, but no president.
1 Each village governs itself, and COM
1 mon council of the combined villages
governs the GASES, The village govern
I ments each consist of council OF
/ sSVe!lleeIl lIlellDHrS, i've OF whom are
/ land owners and twelve OF whom are
| luborers. They are all elected by the
i people or the village. Three members
N of each council are elected to n general
| council OF twenty-one. which passes
only upon matters which relate to the
whole corporation OF Figuig, The VIII
lage councils regulate all things affect
! ing their respective villages, They ap-
| point the, Local judges and make the
/ town laws. AS to matters OF peace
and war with villages outside Figulg,
| these are dealt with by the GASES coun-
Gil, land tho same body regulates all
| matters regarding the water supply.
4 OF these GASES communities. We shall
go drought the town of I'll Ahid, OBJ
serving ssomeyof the things I saw there
i this afternoon. The municipality con-
4 Ing like amy town OF that size in our
country. In tho first place T doubt
! whether IT covers more than tWantY