MONOCOTYLEDONS 



275 



The date-palm finds its most congenial home in 

 Arabia, but is also extensively cultivated in northern Africa 

 (Fig. 273). It becomes a very large tree, thriving in a 

 hot, dry climate and sandy soil; and this makes it in- 

 valuable in semitropical desert regions. The enormous 

 yield of a single tree is indicated by the fact that it is long- 

 lived and that it may yield 300 to 500 pounds of dates 

 in a single season. Great interest attaches to the fact 

 that the date-palm promises to become commercially im- 

 portant in certain regions of California and Arizona that 

 seem otherwise to be hopeless from an agricultural point of 



FIG. 272. Coconut-palms in a Filipino village. Photograph by RITCHIE. 



view, since it thrives in any amount of heat and drought, 

 and can endure more alkali in the soil than any other 

 profitable plant. This is the palm of the Bible and of 

 ancient writings in general. Its habit is shown in 

 Fig. 271. 



