\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 \fs24 In the \b \cf2 \ATXht11302 Maghreb\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 grow the most precious of all dates, the \i deglet en nour\i0 or ôfingers o
f light,ö transparent and as sweet as honey. In the vast palm groves, the rules of ownership, harvesting, and watering are governed by a rigid code that lays down times and means.\par
Care of the palms is the responsibility of a worker known as the \b
\i \cf2 \ATXht11105 khammes\i0 \cf0 \ATXht0 .\b0 The word is derived from the Arabic for five, \i khamsa\i0 , since the old feudal laws held that the worker had the right to one fifth of the crop.\par
People have even succeeded in growing palms in the m
iddle of the desert, by planting them at the bottom of an artificial crate, the \b \i \cf2 \ATXht10702 gout\i0 \cf0 \ATXht0 ,\b0 which is constantly tended to prevent it from filling with sand.\par
