POLLINATION TO FRUIT PRESERVATION. 101 



ripening. If these are not removed, the whole cluster becomes 

 tainted. If the variety is not very good, the cluster is cut from 

 the tree when about 50 per cent, of the fruits on it are ready 

 and the fruits are then spread in the sun. Any dates which do 

 not ripen while spread in the sun are fed to goats, etc. 



75. As has been stated already (see page 44, para. 20), 



fruits are apt to ferment and fall off the tree 



em n n g si t!me e before the y are ri P e if the atmosphere in the 

 ripening period is wet. Great damage may be 

 done in this way to the crop by wet weather at the ripening time. 

 The fear that the crop might be spoiled by rain or damaged by 

 enemies, accounts for the Punjab custom of harvesting the fruits 

 as soon as a small spot on the end becomes soft ; and of finishing 

 the ripening process on mats in the sun, rather than attempt 

 ripening the fruits completely on the tree as is usually done in 

 countries where the date-harvesting season is practically rainless. 



76. Different varieties of dates differ very much in the 

 Preservation and length of time they keep fresh without being 



f^tsTnthfpunj-ab preserved. The large purple date known as 

 and elsewhere. the Q^atti " found growing at Muzaffargarh, 



has usually begun to ferment in about 24 hours after it has been 

 plucked, if it has been taken from the tree at the stage of ripeness 

 at which other dates are harvested. When harvested at this 

 stage of ripeness, most varieties of dates only keep fresh for a 

 few days after being plucked from the trees unless they are 

 further ripened and partly dried or otherwise preserved. Pre- 

 servation of dates by drying depends upon the fact that the 

 organisms concerned in fermentation cannot live and perform 

 their work in a sugary solution above a certain concentration. 

 Therefore the juice of those dates that keep longest fresh is usually 

 less watery than those that go rancid sooner. The further ripening 

 and preservation by drying is, as already mentioned, usually 

 done by spreading the fruits thinly on a mat in the sun. The 

 object to aim at is to dry off just as much of the water from the 

 fruit as will leave the juice as concentrated as will preserve the 

 fruit for the length of time required. More water than this should 



