Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-23
fO9N he g}ED
. LAgaELx %
In HOWHf6

and listening to their tales; there are shoe
makers and tailors working out on the
streets, water carriers and Deddlers and all
the other features of the life Of the native
Such black villages or native quarters are
found connected with all Algerian towns
The French quarters are almost altogether
French, but one has only to go to the out
skirts to find all the motley characters who
inhabt north Africa.
I have spent some time here, looking for
the old Oran The French have wiped out
all vestige of it. 1t was probably port in
the days Of the Romans, and 1t must have
had a long history. We know that the Mo-
hammedans founded town here a thou
sand years ago and along about fifty or
sixty years before Columbus was moving
about through the West Indies, trying to
find a new way to the orient. Spaniard
wrote that Oran then had six thousand
houses. one hundred and forty mosques and
schools equal to the colleges Of Cordova.
Grenada and Seville. Some time after this
Oran was taken by Spain, but it was later
recaptured by the Moors and finally ac-
Quired by the French in 1881.
A Land Of Rich Farms.
During my stay in the province Of Oran
1 have gone over a great part of it by rail.
The country is wonderfully rich and much
Of it is covered with great fields devoted to
grain. 1t is now winter and only the
stubb1e Is to be seen, but there are straw
stacks standing everywhere on the land
and other cereals. The wheat is handled
in four-bushel bags, which are piled high
upon freight cars and then covered with
tarpaulins. The grain is brought to the
teen or more feet in length. They are
hauled by mules hitched up tandem, four
mules to each cart The straw is carefully
saved. Some Of it is baled and sent to the
stations, where 1t Is covered with canvas
to protect 1T from the weather. The stacks
on the farms are plastered with mud. the
earth here forming kind Of cement when
mixed with water. This efrectually pro-
tects them from the rains and the straw
keeps as fresh as though under cover.
l wish 1 could show you some of the
Algerian country through which I have
been riding for the past week or so. 1t
here is just as bright and 1t is so strong
that the clouds paint velvety blue shadows
on the landscape. The sky is Of the same
heavenly blue and the clouds fieecy white
All sorts Of fruits grow as WELL and the
crops look much the same
In other respects Algeria is far differ
emit from any part Of the United States.
There are no fences and no barns The
people of the country live in structures
of stone covered with stucco and washed
with the brightest of colors. 1 saw sky
blue farm house yesterday, and stopped
at a rose pink one the other afternoon
upon them. Everything is Of the cart va
rity and there are more mules and dom
keys than horses. Oxen are used largely
for blowing. Now and then an
ungainly camel stalking sul1enly onward
and not infrequently a caravan Of mules
or drove Of dog-like donkeys loaded with
grain.
Among the Vineyards.
Among the beautiful features of the
landscape are the vineyards. They spot
every part Of the Tell, and prosper in
the worst lands and on the burning soil.
A
for producing all kinds Of fine wines, and
1t Is said that there Is not spot in the
three provinces that cannot be made to
raise grapes.
thing like thirty million dollars worth of
wine every year, and it will eventually
export wine to all parts Of the world.
There are $4,000 vineyards already in
many acres. Wine is to be seen eyery-
where. Long lines Of teams haul it over
the roads and almost every train carries
cars loaded with hogsheads
Indeed, wine is cheaper here than min
eral water I have two bottles of wine
every day on my table at the hotels, and
If buy lunch at railroad restaurant
a quart of wine Is thrown in without ex-
ira charge. The wine Is good too and is
the pure juice Of the grape.
Algeria Is now producing more than
enough wines every year to give two gal
Ions to every man, woman and child in the
United States, and her grape-growing
lands have, as yet, barely been touched
I see vast areas of vacant lands among
the vineyards and new vines are being
set out.
have never seen grapes grow so lux
uriantly and produce SO abundantly any
where else. The vines are cut back every
year, making their trunks knotty and
gnarly. The main stems are not as high
as your knee From these stumps long
branches come out from season to season,
and these bear the grapes Some of the
grapes are Of a rich navy blue. not large,
but full Of juice and sweetness. Others
are crimson and others white. The latter
are as big as damson plums and surpass
in flavor and color the finest Of the Mala-
gas FRANK. g. CARPENTER.