DATE-GROWING. 115 



be no record of their origin, or how they came to Alipur. The 

 Khaji Nalian fruits were gathered from trees growing at Muzaffar- 

 garh, but there appear also to be very few trees producing fruits 

 which could be described as of this variety. 



Khaji Ghatti is a purple date ; and although a considerable 

 number of date trees exist which bear fruits that come under 

 this name, they do not form an important part of the date crop 

 of the Punjab. The fruits can only be kept for a lengthened 

 time if dried hard. They are usually split to facilitate drying 

 and are sold under the name of " Chirvi " or " Shingistan " 

 (see para. 76, page 101). They are not of good quality. A very 

 large proportion of their weight is lost in drying them hard, 

 and even when dried they sell at about 1 to H annas per Ib. If 

 they are to be used fresh, they must be eaten within 24 hours of 

 the time they are plucked from the tree, otherwise they ferment 

 too far and become bad. Khaji Gadri is the sort of fruit that 

 forms the bulk of the Punjab date crop and it is with this 

 that the fruits from the imported trees should be compared 

 when considering the advantages of the introduction of improved 

 varieties into the Punjab. The date trees of the province with 

 few exceptions having been all raised from seeds, the number 

 of varieties of dates is innumerable, but the above gives some 

 idea of the general quality of the fruits produced at present. 



86. The prices of these local fruits vary a little from year 



to year, but from information which I have 



fruTtsTn the Punjab, "received from time to time the most inferior date 



fruits can usually be bought in the local market 



at Re. 1 or less per maund (82 Ibs.) and the greater part of the crop 



can be bought at Rs. 2 to Rs. 3 per maund, while the best 



classes of dates generally sell at Rs. 8-10 per maund. Sometimes 



the few specially good fruits can hardly be bought at any price. 



I have found fruits of the variety known as Deree imported 

 into the Punjab, from Basra in the Persian Gulf. These are 



Note 1 anna=l penny. 



Re. 1 (1 rupee) = 16 pence. 



