342 BENGAZl.

Osmai relates (says the story in question) that an inhabitant of Yemama, a province in Arabia, once made him the following recital.

“ I was possessor of a garden in which was a palm-tree, which had every year produced me abundance of fruit ; but two seasons having passed away, without its affording any, I sent for a person well acquainted with the culture of palms, to discover for me the reason of this failure. “ An unhappy attachment” (observed the man, after a moment’s inspection) “ is the sole cause why this palm-tree produces no fruit !” He then climbed up the trunk, and, looking round on all sides, discovered a male palm at no great distance, which he recognised as the object of my unlucky tree’s affection ; and advised me to procure some of the powder from its blossoms, and to scatter it over her branches. This I did (said the Arab,) and the consequence was, that my date-tree, whom unrequited love had kept barren, now bore me a most abundant harvest !”

The value of the palm-tree is not generally appreciated in Europe, but it is highly prized in Asia and Africa. The followers of Mahomet (as appears from Kazwini) believe it to be peculiar to those favoured countries where the religion of the Prophet is professed.

“ Honour the palm-tree,” (says this writer, in the words of Mahomet himself,) “ for she is your father’s aunt and this distinction (he tells us) was given to it, because the tree was formed from the remainder parceque le voisinage favorise leurs amours ; et si, au contraire, on feloigne I’arbre femelle des males, cette distance empeche qui'il ne rapporte aucun fruit. Quand on plante un palmier male au milieu des femelles, et que, le vent venant a souffler, les femelles resolvent I’odeur des fleurs du male, cette odeur suffit pour rendre feconds tons les palmiers femelles qui environnent le mdle.