DATES OF EGYPT AND THE SUDAN". 11 



The second economic point is that to get the real profit the present 

 careless and filthy methods of curing and packing must give way to 

 modern sanitary methods, and the fruit, in itself really of high 

 quality, must be packed in neat, attractive boxes or cartons, when 

 it would command three times the retail price it brings to-day. 



SUBDISTRICT OP FAYUM AND THE NILE VALLEY. 



The valley portion of the desert subtropical zone, beginning above 

 Gizeh and extending, for convenience, to the first cataract, at Aswan, 

 comprises the provinces of Beni Suef, Minieh, Siut (Assiut), Girgeh, 

 Keneh, and Aswan, with a total of over 3,000,000 taxed date trees, 

 or more than half of the entire number of the taxed trees of Egypt. 

 While a few of the choicer named varieties are grown in gardens of 

 well-to-do people, nearly the entire number of these trees are of the 

 balady, or seedling type, of every color and character, though those of 

 superior quality are few, and there is a strong leaning toward the dry 

 types. It is doubtful whether anywhere else in the world can be 

 found so large a number of date trees of so low a commercial quality 

 and containing so small a number of trees of standard varieties and 

 uniform product. The nearly a half million date trees of Fayum 

 are of about the same character, and from the similarity of the 

 climate to that of the northern portion of Upper Egypt Fayum is 

 included with the valley division of the desert subtropical zone. 



If one but for a moment considers the possible difference between 

 financial returns which would be realized from these millions of 

 balady, or seedling, trees and an equal number of such valuable varie- 

 ties as might be grown in their places, the results are astounding. 

 Sir William Willcocks's estimate of the annual value of the product 

 of 5,200,000 date trees of Upper Egypt at £1,040,000 makes the 

 average value of each tree only 4 shillings, or about .$1 . Remembering 

 that this portion of the Nile Valley and the depression of the Fayum 

 afford ideal conditions for growing the choicest of the world's date 

 varieties, we should picture these sections as planted with such 

 choice Egyptian varieties as the Siwah, the oasis Saidy, the Algerian 

 Deglet Noor (wliich would find its optimum temperature conditions 

 about Keneh or Luxor), and some of the most valuable Arabian 

 varieties. 



From the most reliable estimates that could be obtained at Bed- 

 rashen, the annual revenue realized by the grower of the Siwah 

 variety would he about $2.00 per tree, even with the present crude 

 on thods of handling. The Saidy, apparently adapted to the higher 

 heat conditions of the upper valley, would be no less profitable. 



With modern packing methods the above figures could at least be 



doubled. If the quality of the trees of this section could be so 

 changed that they would be bringing an annual return of £1 per 



