DATE VARIETIES 253 



the rounded to broadly pointed apex. Size medium 

 large, the length being one and one-fourth to one and 

 three-fourths inch, width three- fourths to seven- 

 eighths inch; surface fairly smooth, translucent deep 

 orange brown to hght brown in color, overspread 

 with a thin, bluish-gray bloom; skin firm, medium 

 thick, and fairly tough, rarely wrinkled but often 

 separating from the flesh in folds or blisters. Flesh 

 firm and meaty, translucent amber brown in color, 

 three-sixteenths to one-fourth inch thick. Seed 

 oblong-obovate to oblong-elHptical, blunt at base 

 and broadly pointed at apex, seven-eighths inch long, 

 three-eighths wide; smooth, grayish brown or russet 

 in color, ventral channel narrow^ or almost closed. 

 Flavor rich and extremely pleasant, never cloying 

 the palate, though it be eaten in quantity every day. 



Khalaseh, Khalasa, Khalasi, Khalas, Quint- 

 essence, a name well describing the Arabic estimate 

 of this, the most famous date of the Persian Gulf 

 region. Its home is around the town of Hofhuf in 

 the district of Al Hasa, anciently called Ha jar; the 

 variety has been spread to Oman, Busreh, some of 

 the Persian coast districts, and I even found one 

 palm at Baghdad. Its fruit was formerly exported 

 very widely, to Mesopotamia, India, and even Zanzi- 

 bar; of late years almost the whole of the yield has 

 been absorbed by the nomads of the interior of 

 Arabia, who are thorough connoisseurs of dates, and 

 send their caravans each year to Hofhuf to carry 

 off as great a quantity of this variety as is obtainable. 



Little definite information is available regarding 

 the culture of this date in its native home, but it 

 would appear to be fairly plentiful, for the Turkish 



