THE GRAPE. 109 



at his being already aware of the distinction of sexes, 

 saying that all Franks who had hitherto come there had 

 considered what was told them on this subject as either a 

 fable or a miracle, and, gratified at such a proof of his 

 interest in the favourite tree, readily showed him the 

 whole process of fecundation, as already here detailed. 



Pistilliferous trees largely preponderate, one male suf- 

 ficing for 400 or 500 of the other sort, but perhaps it may 

 be in some measure to this disproportion that the neces- 

 sity for human intervention between them is due. That 

 this is necessary is proved by the fact, that in the year 

 1800, when the Turks and the French were so busied with 

 warfare that the only field labour carried on was that of 

 the field of battle, the neglected palms blossomed, indeed, 

 as usual, but entirely failed to produce a harvest. But yet 

 worse evils than mere neglect have occasionally been 

 suffered by the palms in time of war, for they have some- 

 times been wantonly cut down by invaders, and an instance 

 is on record of this having once occurred during a civil 

 war in Persia, when all the stameniferous trees in one 

 province were completely destroyed. The inhabitants, 

 however, had prudently provided against such a contin- 

 gency by preserving a quantity of pollen in close vessels, 

 and when they regained possession of their land, after a 

 lapse of 19 years, this long-hoarded treasure had lost none 

 of its virtue, and they were thus enabled to impregnate 

 the pistilliferous plants and obtain the usual crop. It is 

 still customary to preserve a portion of this farina from 

 season to season, in case of accident, a scarcity of dates 

 being about as serious an event as any that can occur in 

 the chronology of a palm-growing country. 



CHAPTEE IX. 

 THE GEAPE. 



WHETHER our first parents in Paradise sat under the 

 -shade of their own vine as well as of their own fig-tree, 



