PROPAGATION BY SEEDS. 83 



46. Sometimes in date-growing localities a variety of 



crops are grown between the trees. While 



Auxiliary crops. 



tne trees are small only such crops are grown 

 as will not injure the palms by overshading them too much. 

 Common crops grown then are wheat, barley, lucerne, clover, 

 vegetables (see illustration No. 28, page 82a). Later, such fruits 

 as grapes, pomegranates, figs, peaches, apricots, almonds and 

 similar fruits are often grown under the shade of the palms 

 if there is sufficient space for these. In the Sahara many of 

 these fruits can only be grown successfully under the shade of 

 other trees and do best where grown under the date palm. It 

 is quite common there to see three crops occupying the land at 

 the same time. First the date trees towering above everything, 

 then a mixture of other fruit trees, and under them the more 

 shade loving garden vegetables. Gardens of this sort are of 

 course excellent where the other fruit trees can be grown well, 

 and the fruits from these and the crops of vegetables can be succes- 

 fully dealt with. Rice crops should not be grown between ne\v!y 

 planted date trees, as until they have become well established 

 the stagnant water of the rice plots harms the young plants. 



47. The great necessity for keeping a minute and accurate 



record of the trees in a plantation is shown 



Method of keeping 



records of trees in in paragraph 81. page 109. My method of 



a plantation. . ' r & 



keeping a record is by making a plan of the 

 plantation as in illustration No. 24, page 18a, and filing with 

 ifc all letters and notes of anything of interest connected with 

 the case. Every tree in the plantation is represented on 

 the plan by a small circle with a number inside it and a reference 

 on the margin of the plan shows the name of the variety under 

 that number. The date of planting and a reference are given to 

 the connected correspondence. This plan makes it a simple 

 matter in following years to record when a tree comes in 

 bearing ; what its annual yields of fruits are, and any thing 

 of interest about it. The work is greatly facilitated if each 

 tree bears a zinc label with a number on it corresponding with 

 that of the plan. 



