106 THE DATE PALM. 



are yellow before they become ripe, and fetch a higher price than 

 the ripe dates. One advantage is that the grower can get rid 

 of his inferior dates and recoup himself early in the season." 



In the past season, the date fruits from the Arabian planta 

 tions in the Punjab were plucked when a spot on the end of the 

 fruit turned soft and were dried in the sun sufficiently to preserve 

 them. Some of them were packed in cardboard boxes holding 

 about one lb.; others in coarse earthenware jars, glazed inside and 

 out, and holding about 2| Ibs. (see illustration No. 36 opposite). 

 The empty cardboard boxes with their butter paper lining, 

 printing charges, etc., cost Rs. 38 per 1,000 and were 7| x 3j x 1 \ 

 inches in size. The jars were made in Mult an and cost Rs. 8 

 per 100 at the pottery. If large quantities of the boxes and jars 

 are ordered they would probably be got much cheaper. The 

 dates were of a quality well suited for dessert purposes and the 

 demand for them was many times the supply available. Those 

 of them that I see being used for dessert purposes now (May 1916) 

 are in excellent condition (For quality of these fruits as compared 

 with local fruits, see page 113, para. 85, and for prices obtained 

 for them, see page 115, para. 86). Shopkeepers sometimes 

 complain that insect larvae appear in Persian Gulf date fruits 

 in winter or spring and ruin the fruits for table purposes. Insect 

 larvse have also been found in Punjab date fruits in winter. A 

 number of the insects have been sent to the Entomological section. 

 They will be identified there and their life history will be worked 

 out. Experiments are being conducted to discover when the 

 eggs are laid in the fruits , and steps will be taken either to guard 

 against the eggs being laid, or to sterilise them when they are 

 there (see also page 139, para. 96). 



At present the date-growers in the Punjab cannot hope to 

 carry on a large and successful trade in dates nicely packed for 

 the higher prices in the market, as even if samples of the fruits 

 were accepted in the market as suitable, date-growers could not 

 collect any considerable quantity of exactly the same quality 

 of fruits, owing to the pernicious habit that the people have of 

 rearing most of their trees from seeds (see page 108, para. 80 ). 



