Year: 1873

Dates, to us merely an occasional luxu ry,
are to the Arab the very staff of life,
just as the camel is his ship of the des-
ert. The date tree, one of the large fam
lily of palms, is a native of both Asia and
Africa, and will grow readily in any sandy
soil where the climate is not too cold. 1t
was long ago introduced into Spain by the
Moors, and few are still found even in
the South Of France. But the most ex-
tensive date forests are those in the Bar
barry States, where they are sometimes
miles in length.


Growing thus, the trees are very beau
tiful. Their towering crests touching each
other, they seem like an immense natural
temple. The walls are formed of far
reaching vines and creepers that twine
gracefully about the trunks, and the ground
beneath is dotted with tiny wild-fowers
that, with their rainbow tints and bright
green foliage, are more beautiful than any
floor of costly mosaics. For worshipers
there are thousands of gay plumaged birds,
fitting from bough to bough, as they car
ol forth their morning and evening songs
their little bosoms quivering with gladness.


The Bedouins, or wild Arabs of the des-
ert, who consider it beneath their dignity
to sow or plant, or cultivate the soil in any
way, depend upon gathering the date where
they can find it growing wild but the
Arabs Of the plains cultivate it with great
care and skill, thus improving the size and
flavor of the fruit, and largely increasing
the yield. In some varieties they have
succeeded in doing away with the
hard seed, and the so-called seedless dates,
being very large and fine, are highly priced.
When ripe, the date is of brown golden
color, fragrant and luscious; and in the
dry, hot countries where palms grow,
no better food for morning, noon, or night,
can be found, while one never wearies Of
the sweet pulpy fruit, gathered fresh from
the tree. But the trees do not bear oil
the year round, of course, and SO the Arabs
make what they call date honey, using for
this the juice of the ripe fruit, and those
who can afford it preserve dates fresh
through the year, by keeping them in close
vessels covered over with this honey.


Wine and spirits are also made from
dates by distillation but they are sold, for
the most part, to foreign traders. For the
Arabs are exceedingly temperate in their
habits, and poor and ignorant as many of
them are, drunken man is never found
among them. There is still another pro-
duct of the date-one that is Of vast i'm
portance to the poor Arabs in their long
journeys across the deserts. This is date
-four, made by drying the ripe fruit in the
sun, and afterward grinding it to powder.
1t is then packed in tight sacks, and if
slowed away from the damp will keep for
years, This is food in its most compact
form, easily carried about, and needing no
cooking; it has only to be moistened with
little water, and the meal is ready for
eating How wisely has the ALLOWING
Father provided for these sons of barren
soil, suiting his mercies to their needs
giving them for their toilsome journeys the
patient, hardy camel, the only beast of
burden that could bear the heat and drought
of their deserts; and for their own susie
nance, the wholesome, nutritious date
81. Nicholas for December.


PAY Aa Yotr fa IF vou cannot No .