THE SUB-TROPICAL ZONE, 105 



Batavia, and as far north as Nice. That part 

 of Africa called Billedulgerid is literally the 

 land of dates. It requires a sandy and well 

 watered soil, and in the Great Desert of Africa 

 is only found near springs. Here it not only 

 affords food to the traveller, but its leaves 

 are excellent fodder for the blasts of burden. 

 Its presence is an unerring sign of water ; 

 hence, the weary Israelites found water when 

 they found palm trees " And they came to 

 Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and 

 threescore and ten palm trees," Exod. xv. 27. 

 The date palm is an example of extraordi- 

 nary fruitfulness, a single spathe containing 

 twelve thousand male flowers ; and its fruit, 

 of which one hundred and fifty to one hun- 

 dred and sixty pounds' weight are yielded 

 by each tree, forms the chief support of the 

 inhabitants of the barren parts of Arabia and 

 Egypt. 



The palm reaches maturity in about thirty 

 years, and continues in full vigour about 

 seventy years longer. It is beautifully applied 

 in Psa. xcii. 12, 14, " The righteous shall 

 flourish like the palm tree : he shall grow like 

 a cedar in Lebanon. They shall still bring 

 forth fruit in old age ; they shall be fat and 

 flourishing." It is dioecious, that is, the sta- 

 men-bearing flowers, (males,) and those con- 

 taining pistils, (females,) grow on different 

 plants. Plants of this kind are usually fer- 

 tilized by the pollen being conveyed from one 

 flower to the other by insects, the wind, etc. 



