VAKIETIES OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE. 71 



larger above than below the middle, broad and rounded at the apex, 

 light bay or hazel brown when ripe, the flesh 2^ to 3 lines thick, firm 

 but tender, the seed about one-half as long as the fruit, rather thick, 

 irregularly roughened. (Fig. 13.) The stalks and branches of the 

 fruit clusters are pale orange. The foliage of this variety is rather 

 light, and the leaves droop somewhat as in Deglet Noor palms. The 

 Arabs say that the foliage of the Areshty is greener than that of the 

 Deglet Noor. The leaflets are long, narrow, and rather sparse. The 

 spines on the leafstalks are comparatively few, slender, and weak. 

 The trunk is stout. 



Frequent in the oases of the Jerid, the Nefzaoua, and Gabes, but 

 nowhere abundant in Tunis. At Gabes the fruits are smaller and 

 duller colored than in the Jerid, and are said not to preserve well. 

 It occurs also in Algeria, at Biskra, and in the Oued Rirh. This is 

 one of the largest dates grown in Tunis. The fruit is generally egg- 

 shaped. It ripens about the middle 

 of October, but is considered by the 

 natives to be at its best before it is 

 perfectly mature, although to an 

 American palate it would doubtless 

 be preferable when ripe. The flavor 

 of the thoroughly ripe fruit is agree- 

 able, although not very remarkable. 

 While not as rich and sweet as the 

 Boo Affar (see p. 66), it is whole- 

 some, nut-like, and not easily cloying. 

 The flesh becomes quite firm and the 

 ripe fruit keeps its shape well when preserved. Thirteen Areshty 

 offshoots were imported. 



DRY DATES. 



HORRA (p. 98). The name is also spelled Hourra, Harra, and 

 Herra, and means " pure " or " noble." A dry date (PI. X, fig. 

 1), about 2 inches long, about one-half as wide, ovate, narrowed from 

 the base to the rounded apex, rather dull purplish maroon when ripe, 

 the flesh 2 to 2J lines thick, with its white central zone much thicker 

 than the dark outer portion, the seed usually about one-half as long 

 as the fruit. (Fig. 14.) The stalks and branches of the fruit clus- 

 ters are orange yellow. The leaves are large, with very numerous 

 slender leaflets. 



This variety, which also occurs in Algeria at Biskra and in the 

 Oued Rirh is frequent in the Jerid and abundant in the Nefzaoua, 

 where, the Deglet Noor not being grown, it is generally esteemed as 

 the finest variety. At Gabes there are a few trees, but the variety 



92 



