Vi PREFACEs 



district, to the Jail Department in connection with the plantation 

 in the garden of the Central Jail, Multan, and to the officers of the 

 Canal Department for the experimental plantations which they have 

 put down in their own lands, and for their ever readiness to assist 

 as regards water-supply, or by any other means in their power. 

 A number of other officers and private friends have also given 

 valuable assistance in one way or another less easy to specify 

 concisely. Among these I may mention Mr. A. E. Jeffries, Executive 

 Engineer, Canal Department, who has for years helped greatly with 

 special date experiments and in many other ways. Mr. Paul 

 B. Popenoe, Altadena, California, author of " Date Growing in the 

 Old and New Worlds " and of a large number of other interesting 

 writings on the date industry, has very kindly sent copies of his 

 writings to me from time to time. There are many others. 



I wish again to acknowledge my great indebtedness to my 

 staff who have one and all, at various times, done much to clear 

 up points showing how far date cultivation might be made 

 profitable to the people of the Punjab. 



It is pleasing to be able to say that all results of investiga- 

 tions made up to date tend to show most decidedly that the people 

 may derive great benefits from date cultivation if it is properly 

 conducted in suitable situations. Major Buck, LA., Deputy 

 Commissioner, Muzaffargarh, has just acquired a further 19 acres 

 of good land for the District Board to lay out in a date plantation, 

 and we have more orders from local farmers for young date 

 plants than we can hope to supply for several years. 



A vernacular translation of this edition is practically ready 

 for publication, and it is hoped that it will be out soon. 



D. MILNE, 



Economic Botanist, Punjab, Lyallpur. 



