SOIL AND CLIMATE. 65 



interesting, but we must have more information regarding the 

 damage done to the crop before we can say much more on the 

 subject. Date-growers in Lahore, however, maintain that they 

 got a considerable proportion of their crop even in 1914, and that 

 they do not remember a year in which their crop was totally 

 destroyed by rains. 



In reply to enquiries made through the Deputy Commissioner, 

 Lahore, the Extra Assistant Settlement Officer, Lahore, in Decem- 

 ber 1915, writes : ' The trees at Lahore fruit regularly ; the 

 crop of one year is heavier than that of the second, but the differ- 

 ence is not very marked. The fruit does not fall off in the rains, 

 but a year of excessive rainfall is a bad year for fruiting generally." 



We may therefore expect to improve date culture in Multan, 

 Muzaffargarh, and Dera Ghazi Khan districts at least, and there 

 are other districts which are promising. All da+a to hand indicate 

 that date trees will grow lustily over a large portion of the Punjab, 

 but that the successful cultivation of the crop may be limited 

 to a comparatively small area owing only to the fruits being 

 damaged by rain in the ripening season. It may, however, 

 be possible to extend the area of successful date cultivation 

 somewhat by selecting and propagating off-shoots from those 

 varieties which ripen before the rainy season commences, or even 

 which ripen after the rains are over. 



26. There are already date trees to be seen growing in many 

 parts of the province, and observations on these 



Useful informa- 

 tion that might be would give very valuable evidence as to whether 



collected. . 



date cultivation could be profitably taken up in 

 those districts. Information regarding such cases would be of 

 great value to the Agricultural Department. 



M, DP 



