8 



PLANT HYBRIDIZATION BEFORE MENDEL 



the seedlings coming from any given variety of date show a very 

 wide range of variation, and it is said that the original parent 

 type seldom re-appears among the seedlings (14). 



This diversity of type among seedling dates has led to the es- 



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Plate VIII. Figure of Ashur-nasir-pal, King of Assyria, 883-859 B.C., attended by a winged 

 mythological being carrying pollination basket in left hand, and in the right the 

 staminate inflorescence of the date palm — a ceremonial act. Slab 24, Nimrud Gallery, 

 British Museum. 



tablishment of a great number of varieties in cultivation. From 

 four oases in the Sahara alone over four hundred distinct varieties 

 of dates are reported, which differ greatly from one another in 

 many cases, in the size, shape, and flavor of the fruits. 



It is possible to see, therefore, that through the medium of the 

 date palm, at a very early period, the fact was learned of the 



