POLLINATION TO FRUIT PRESERVATION. 



71. After the fruits have become sufficiently developed 

 Reducing the to show what sort of bunches may be expected, 



onmL^to^ofil about 8 to 12 of the best bunches should be 

 per tree. selected to remain on each adult tree and the 



remainder should be all cut down. If the bunches are poor, 

 and the tree is vigorous, a greater number are left on the tree. 



72. If more fruits are left than the tree can develop pro- 



perly, the size of the fruits may be considerably 

 T * 8 diminished, and in excessive cases a large number 



n tree 



shrivel and do not come to proper maturity. In 



Multan and Muzaflargarh districts I have seen a good many 

 trees on which more fruits had been allowed to remain than 

 they were able to mature properly. With those people who 

 do not understand date culture properly, there is always a tendency 

 to avoid reducing the number of date bunches where the trees 

 are overladen, but there is no more advantage in leaving too 

 many bunches of fruits on a date tree than there is of leaving too 

 many maize plants in a maize field. Also when a tree has been 

 allowed to carry an over-load of fruits in one year, it usually 

 bears a very poor crop in the next. 



73. The chief enemies complained of to me are human 

 thieves, parrots, and other birds, wasps, and 

 frSfrom enemfes. monkeys in some parts of the Province. A 

 chaukidar (watchman) usually looks after the 

 trees from the time the fruits have developed sufficiently to attract 

 enemies, until they are harvested. The following is recorded 

 in the Multan Gazetteer, 1901-2, regarding the watch- 

 man : " He receives about Rs. 4 per month and a small number 

 of dates, and he attends, taking one month and one locality with 

 another, some 300 trees." He sees that no human thieves 

 steal the fruits, and he keeps off birds by shouting, slinging 

 stones, etc. To help to scare away birds he frequently hangs bells 

 and other contrivances for making a noise on the trees, and shakes 

 these occasionally by means of strings. In date-growing countries 

 the bunches of fruits are often encased in rough mats made of 

 palm leaves, to stop birds from destroying the fruits. The mat 



