16 DATE VARIETIES AND DATE CULTUEE IN TUNIS, 



company made an unsuccessful attempt to purchase this part of the 

 oasis." 



Better sheltered as it is than Tozer, especially on the north, and 

 said to possess a more fertile soil, Nefta is ^A•ell situated for date 

 growing, and its palms yield fruit of high quality. Its gardens are 

 celebrated for their beauty, containing many orange, apricot, fig. and 

 other fruit trees, in addition to the date palms, Avhich are largely of 

 choice varieties. More vegetables, gi'ain, and alfalfa (PI. VII, 

 fig. 2) are grown here than in the other oases of the Jerid. On the 

 side toward the Shott new palm gardens are being established (PI. 

 VII, fig. 2) and are planted as far as possible to the Deglet Noor 

 variety. 



Tozer oasis lies about 15 miles east of Nefta. The oasis proper 

 extends eastward and southward from the town of Tozer, which, 

 like all the towns of the Jerid, occupies high, open ground outside 

 the gardens. It is the political capital of the Jerid region. The 

 elevation of the town above sea level is about 153 feet, but the oasis 

 is several feet lower. The area of this oasis is variously given as 

 2,650, 5,400, and 7,400 acres, l)ut it is probably larger than that of 

 Nefta. Different authorities state the number of i)alms contained 

 in this oasis at from 250,000 to -117,000, of which only about 14,000 

 are of the Deglet Noor variety. The gardens of Tozer differ from 

 those of Nefta in the smaller development of subsidiary cultures. 

 The chief fruit trees^ other than date palms, are figs and pome- 

 granates. 



The oasis of El Oudiane begins about 5 miles east of the town of 

 Tozer and extends for about 5 miles along the northern border of 

 Shott Jerid, in a band that is from one-half mile to 2 miles wide. 

 It lies so near the Shott that in winter the salt water sometimes 

 rises nearly to the gardens. It is generally described as a group of 

 five oases, but these are practically continuous, although each has its 

 own village. The westernmost, known as El Degache, contains the 

 finest gardens. The terrace, at the base of which the oases lie, is 

 here much higher and closer to the gardens than at Tozer and Nefta. 

 and El Oudiane is the best protected from the north wind of all the 

 Jerid oases. Hence its dates, especially those of the Deglet Noor 

 variety, are admitted on all sides to be the finest produced in the 

 region. 



There are estimated to be from 120,000 to 212,000 date i^alms in 

 the El Oudiane oases. As 8,000 of these are said to be Deglet Noors, 

 the percentage of that variety is considerably higher than in the 

 other oases. Besides the magnificent date palms, there are about 



a The " basket " of Nefta reminds one of the sunken gardens of the Oued 

 Souf (Bui. 86, Bureau of Plant Industry), but is much larger than any of them 

 92 



