06 DATE VARIETIES AND DATE CULTURE IN TUNIS. 



trusted with the second paragraph are printed in italics, as is the 

 second paragraph itself. The italicized portion, therefore, consti- 

 tutes the key proper. Frequently an alternative set of characters, 

 introduced by the words " or if," will be found in the second para- 

 graph of the pair (as on p. 101). These alternative characters gener- 

 ally refer to the variety described in the first paragraph that imme- 

 diately follows. 



It is believed that by including in the key the complete description 

 of each variety, the identification can be made with more confidence 

 than if only the characters necessary for " keying out " the varieties 

 were given. While the construction of a key of this type presents 

 difficulties that are not encountered in making the ordinary dichoto- 

 mous key, it is believed that the user, after a little practice, will find it 

 more serviceable. He will have the satisfaction, as it were, of touch- 

 ing ground at each step he takes. 



After the name of each variety, at the end of the paragraph describ- 

 ing it, is given a reference to the page of the text on which will be 

 found outlines of the seed and fruit. 



1. SYNOPSIS OF THE GROUPS. 



* Flesh becoming quite dry and often hard, the white central portion thicker 



than the darker colored, softer outer portion (often twice as 

 thick) ; the fibrous lining of the central cavity clean and 

 dry, bright white; giant cells in a more or less sharply 

 defined zone lying between the white and the dark flesh, 

 very small, generally not much longer than wide. 



Dry dates. 



** Skin becoming loose over much of the surface of the fruit, forming 

 large, smooth, soft, mostly longitudinal blisters. 



Smooth-skinned dry dates, p. 97. 



** Skin closely adhering to most of the surface of the fruit, forming a 

 network of narrow, hard, transverse as well as longitudinal 

 wrinkles, with few or no large, soft blisters. 



Wrinkled dry dates, pp. 07 to 00. 



* Flesh not becoming dry and hard, the white central portion thinner than the 



dark colored, softer outer portion ; the fibrous lining of the 

 central cavity usually more or less soaked and darkened 

 with sirupy juice; zone of giant cells not usually sharply de- 

 fined (or at least not easily distinguishable in color) from 

 the zone outside it, the cells usually variable in size and 

 shape; skin becoming loosened over much of the surface 

 of the fruit when ripe,& forming large, soft, generally longi- 

 tudinal blisters, but otherwise smooth; or, if forming also 

 a network of narrow transverse wrinkles, these few and 



soft ' Soft dates. 



** Fruit spherical or nearly so, at least three-fourths as wide as long. 



Round soft dates, p. 00. 



a Exceptions are the varieties Bayjoo (p. 97), Thaby (p. 98) and Hamra 

 (p. 98) in which the darker colored outer zone is much thicker than the white 

 inner zone, at least in fruits that have been kept for some time. In other 

 respects these are typical dry dates, having the clean, bright white lining of 

 the central cavity and the skin covered with a network of hard, narrow 

 wrinkles. 



&The Khalt Mooashem variety (see p. 104) is an exception in having the skin 

 closely adhering. 



02 



