70 AGRICUETUEAL EXPLORATIONS IN ALGERIA. 



engaged in date growing in tlie Algerian Sahara have set out thou- 

 sands of Deglet Noor trees. The natives also have planted them in 

 large numbers. Of still another type are the dry dates which fur- 

 nish a large part of the food of the population of the desert and are 

 transported by caravans to every part of northern Africa. They 

 are not sirupy like the Rhars type nor richly flavored like the Deglet 

 Noor, but are a wholesome food and can be kept for indetinite periods. 

 The best sorts are eaten either fresh or dry, while from the starchy 

 flesh of inferior kinds flour is made and baked into a sort of bread. 

 In addition to dates, the natives of the Sahara obtain various other 

 useful products from the palms. Trees of inferior value are made to 

 yield "lagmi,'' or palm wine, a sweet juice which is o])tained in a1)un- 

 dance by cutting the bud at the summit of the stem. The wood of the 

 palm is used for building houses, bridges, and dams, as well as for 

 fuel. The leaves serve for thatching roofs, while from their flber 

 matting, baskets, hats, fans, and other articles are manufactured. 



LESS IMPORTANT ORCHARD CROPS. 



A great variety of other fruits characteristic of warm temperate and 

 subtropical countries are grown with more or less success in Algeria, 

 but their importance is not sutiicient to warrant much more than an 

 enumeration. 



The peach is most at home in sheltered ravines of the mountain 

 zone, where it makes a i-apid growth and yields well. It is grafted 

 upon Prumts mirobdan in deep, rich soils, and upon the almond in i 

 thinner, limy soils. The fruit is often of line appearance, but gener- 

 ally lacks flavor. 



The apricot is also grown most successfully in ravines and on shel- 

 tered slopes at low elevations in the mountain zone. In the oases of 

 the northern part of the Sahara it becomes a large tree and yields 

 heavily, but the fruit is poor in size and quality. Nevertheless, dried 

 apricots are much in demand in the markets of the Sahara. The apricot 

 in the coast region is sometimes grafted on the plum. 



The almond is one of the fruit trees that is best adapted to the drier 

 parts of Algeria. Two principal types are cultivated— the thin-shelled 

 Princesse, which is exported in some quantity as an early fruit, and 

 varieties with harder shell, which are generally dried. 



The cherry is most at home in the mountain zone, doing well on a 

 variety of soils. There are cherry orchards of considerable value in 

 some parts of Algeria. 



The plum thrives in rather deep soils, especially in the mountainous 

 parts of the colony. The Reine Claude gives excellent results under 

 irrigation at moderate elevations in eastern Algeria. The growing of 

 prunes has not become an industry in the colony. 



