719 



until the j^l^nts are established and, more or less at all stages of 

 growth, depending on situation — whether near rivers subject to 

 periodical inundations, as on the Nile, or to tidal influence, or 

 where the roots can reach the sub -soil water. There is an old 

 Arab saying to the effect that this palm likes its feet in the water 

 and its head in the oven. Trees raised from suckers bear fruit 

 in from 4-5 years, increasing in value up to about 8-10 years 

 and are believed to continue yielding for upwards of a century. 

 Artificial fertilisation is usually necessary, the time of year may 

 vary according to climate, the method being to cut up the male 

 spadices immediately they open (or are ready to open) into 

 parts of a few flowers each, and then — as in Mesopotamia for 

 instance (Kew Bulk I.e. p. 284), " the cultivator cUmbs the 

 tree, opens the bunch of female blossom sUghtly, and deposits in 

 it a few sprigs of the male blossom." Fruits are ripe in about 

 150 days from the date of fertilisation (I.e.). The yield may 

 ^ary considerably but from 100-200 lb. per tree per annum 

 might be considered good. In Egypt the fruits are classified 



dry 



dried 



(C 



Gon- 



•« 



^aila " and " Sakkoti " — to suit some tastes they require to be 

 soaked in water before eating — -; the second which may in a dried 

 state be packed loosely in boxes to keep without fermenting, 

 "Amry" — largely exported to Europe and " Aglani," being 

 tlie chief varieties cultivated and the third with a comparatively 

 small proportion of sugar, commonly eaten in a fresh ripe state, 

 including the varieties " Aisha," "Bint," " Amhat," " Havani," 

 '^Samani," "Zaghlool," " Siwi " and the variety "Saidi"— said 

 to be the most important date in all the Oases (Brown, Agric. 

 Journ. Egypt, seq,). In Mesopotamia the varieties exported 

 are " HaUawee " — the best kind at Basra, ripens early and is 

 packed in boxes for export generally, *' Khadrawee "—packed 



;ypt 



United Eangd 



"^ SAmran,'* " Zahdee '' and " Deree '' (Kew Bull. 1908, p. 285). 



The " Tafilat '* variety, raised from seed — one of several 

 kinds obtained by Kew from the East in 1890 for distribution 

 among the then newty formed Botanic Stations in the West 

 Indies— produced fruit at the Dominica Botanic Garden in 

 1907 or after 17 years; the female trees had borne flowers for 

 several years before; but the first male tree admitting of fer- 

 tilisation flowered in the year stated ; suckers, it was urged, were 

 necessary to continue the experiment (Agric. News Barbados, 

 Oct, 5th, 1907, p. 308). In 1913, suckers (" djebars ") of 



Tafilat " (" Tafilalet '') fetched 40^. per guaranteed '' djebar " 

 and those of '' Deglet-nour " cost 4<s. each in Algeria, and it was 

 recommended to grow them in Nurseries for a supply of suckers, 

 as being more profitable than for the production of dates (Trabut, 

 Bull. Agric. del'Algerieetde la Tunisie, May 1st, 1913, pp. 185-187 : 

 Bull. Bur. Agric, Inst. Rome, iv. J913, p. 1247). 



N 2 



