22 BULLETIN 271, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The fruit in ripening presents a very beautiful appearance, the bunches being 

 heavy on long strands (shamrokh)l The half-ripe fruit is about 2\ inches long, often 

 oblique, a little curved, and with a peculiar long-pointed apex (PI. VI). The color is 

 a mingling of "apricot orange" (R. XIV) with "ochraceous orange" (R. XV). The 

 flesh is thick, the interior of which is satiny white. In ripening, the fruit becomes con- 

 siderably reduced in size, and is about 2 inches long and seven-eighths of an inch to 1 

 inch broad, with the skin softly wrinkled and an appearance of bloom. The color is 

 now a shiny "Brussels brown" (R. III). The oblique form and long point are still 

 well retained (fig. 4). The flesh is soft, but not sticky, very rich and sweet, with a 

 distinctive flavor, which places it in a high class among dates. The smooth oblong 

 seed is narrow and rather delicate for the size of the fruit, being \\ to 1^ inches long, 

 five-sixteenths of an inch broad, rounding about equally and obtusely at either end. 

 but the apex is often apiculate. The germ pore is placed about two-fifths of the seed 

 length from the apex, the ventral furrow being shallow and narrow. The color of the 

 seed is close to "Sayal brown" (R. XXIX). 



Samples of this fruit brought from Merowe and examined in Washington on May 20 

 of the following year, though still in perfect condition, did not possess quite the high 

 flavor of the recently matured fruit. 



This variety is considered by the English residents of the Dongola and Haifa prov- 

 inces to be the finest date of dessert quality in the Sudan. It is nowhere found in 



commercial quantities, and the pos- 

 session of a few trees is regarded as 

 rather a mark of wealth and dis- 

 tinction, the fruit being kept to 

 offer to guests or sent as presents. 

 The gift of an offshoot from this 

 variety is a mark of especial favor 

 or courtesy. Davie states that this 

 variety ' ' can be treated as a soft or a 



dry date," also that "an ardeb (300 

 Fig. 4. — Outlines of the Bentamoda date in fresh condition, ... . . 



from Merowe, Dongola Province, Sudan, f Natural sue.) to 320 pounds) Will fetch as much as 



192 piasters (59.62 in United States 

 money). There is not much trade in this variety, however, as the quantity is limited." 

 It is claimed to be one of the four varieties originally obtained by the Dongola people from 

 the Sukkot region, where it is to be found to-day in greater numbers than in Dongola. 



A very interesting question of synonymy arises from the fact that among samples 

 of dates collected from near Aswan for Mr. Thomas Brown, horticulturist, of the Egyp- 

 tian Ministry of Agriculture, was one of a variety called "Bartamoda," which upon 

 careful comparison could not be distinguished from the sample of Bentamoda, which 

 the writer brought from Merowe. Also, in October, 1911, Mr. A. Aaronsohn, acting 

 as agent for Mr. Fairchild, purchased at Aswan, among others, 10 offshoots of "Bar- 

 tamoda" (under S. P. I. No. 32720). 



As offshoots have been brought down the river from Sukkot to the Aswan region for 

 many years, it would have been probable that so fine a variety as the Bentamoda 

 would be among them, and with the carelessness of these people about names, which 

 often pass by word of mouth, the discrepancy in this case is not surprising. As to the 

 meaning of the name as used in Dongola, the writer could get no satisfactory explana- 

 tion. To the question whether it was from "bint" or "bent," daughter or girl, they 

 insisted that it was neither. 



A special trip to Aswan was made early in February, 1914, for the purpose of study- 

 ing on the ground the question of the identity of the dates known under these two 

 names. A close examination was made of the few trees known as "Bartamoda" to be 

 found near the village, and through the courtesy of the omda samples of the fruit were 

 obtained, so as to settle beyond question the identity of the two (PI. VII). A very 

 intelligent native gardener, familiar with the trade in date offshoots from the Sudan 

 region, also emphatically testifies that Bentamoda and "Bartamoda " are the same date. 



