Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1874 — The Date. [ARTICLE]

The Date.

Dates, to us merely an occasional luxury, are to the Arab the very “ staff of life,” just as the camel is his “ ship of the desert.” The date tree, one of the large family 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, It was long ago introduced into Spain by the Moors and a few are still found even in the south of France. But the most extensive date forests are those in the Barbary States, where they are sometimes miles in length. Growing thus the trees are very beautiful. 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 tall, straight trunks, and the ground beneath is dotted with tiny wild flowers that, with their rainbow tints and bright green foliage, are more beautiful than any floor of costly mosaic. For worshipers there are thousands of gay plumaged birds, flitting from bough to bough as they carol forth their morning and evening songs, their little bosoms quivering with gladness. The Bedouins, or wild Arabs of the desert, 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 culti-vaUHt-with-great care and skill, thus im-

proving 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 prized. When ripe the date is of a bright 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 all 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 a drunken man is never found among them. There is still another product of the date, one that is of vast importance to the poor Arabs in their long journeys across the desert. This is date-flour, made by drying the fruit in the sun and afterward grinding it to powder. It is then packed in tight sacks and if stowed 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 a little water and the meal is ready for eating.—St. Nicholas.