POLLINATION 103 



1670,* quotes one of his predecessors to the effect 

 that the palms were sometimes pollinated by the wind. 

 His description of the date is so quaint that it is worth 

 a slight digression to insert it: he entitles it "The 

 Dadel, a Tree Unknown to Us," and says: 



"In several places about Egypt and especially 

 about Alexandria are great woods of Dadel trees, 

 which the Arabians from the name of the fruit called 

 Dachel.f 



"The Dadel tree, of which there are male and 

 female, hath every other year abundance of fruit, 

 but the female affords no fruit unless her branches 

 be plashed with those of her mate. Many, to make 

 the female fruitful, strow the matter that lies in the 

 bag or receptacle, out of which the blossom and fruit 

 comes, upon her branches; and probably if the 

 Egyptians did not do so, they would bring forth no 

 fruit, or if they did, they would never come to any 

 perfection. But Veslingus seems to reject this, 

 ascribing the great fruitfulness of it to the soil, being 

 sandy and nitrous: for he affirms that he hath seen 

 the earth in the Dadel-tree wood oftentimes thick- 

 covered with a white down or callow, like cellar walls 

 where we find our saltpetre, which by the sultry 

 south winds from negro-land and the barren Arabia, 

 is in great abundance driven up hither, and falling 

 on the tops of the Dadel trees, not only makes them 

 flourish but also pregnant. 



"The roots are so small, thin, and short that it is 

 a wonder how it supports itself, being so great, 

 especially when often charged by strong and assiduous 



*Ogilby, John. Africa, p. 105. London, 1670. 



t Properly Daqal or Degal. The word Daddel is the Swedish and 

 Dutch for "date"; both go back to the Greek Daktylos. 



