38 BULLETIN 271, TJ. S. DEPABTMENT OP AGEICULTUBE. 



to disturb . A contract was made for the regular watering of this tree by hand and a 

 price agreed upon for the offshoots as they become large enough to remove. Owners 

 of trees of this variety keep their fruits to set before guests or to send as presents. 

 It could not be learned that they had ever been grown in commercial quantities. 

 The fruit of this variety will take first rank in the dry-date class. 



TAMR. 



A third-rate date found in considerable numbers in Khargeh and Dakhleh Oases. 

 Its chief interest lies in the fact that it bears some resemblance to the Saidy and that 

 it is mixed with the inferior grades of the latter variety and sold to the Bedouin traders 

 at low prices for consumption by the poorer people. While hardly to be classed as a 

 dry date, it may pass as semidry. 



The fruits are about If inches in length and three-fourths to seven-eighths of an 

 inch in diameter, with square blocky base, oblong form, and broad, abruptly rounded 

 apex. They are sparsely and rather coarsely wrinkled and reticulate, but with more 

 of smooth surface than is usual (PL XVI). 



In color the brighter parts are "mahogany red" or "chestnut" (R. II) or more often 

 near to "russet" (R. XV), with lighter basal portions "tawny olive" (R. XXIX) or 

 clay color. The rather dry flesh is sweet, without richness or characteristic flavor. 

 The seeds might aptly be called moccasin shaped. They are flattened, about seven- 

 eighths of an inch long, three-eighths or seven-sixteenths of an inch broad at one-third 

 the length from the broadly rounded apex, and taper from this point to a rather broad 

 base. The ventral furrow is broad, rather shallow, and corrugated, the germ pore 

 being nearly central. Inside the closely adhering membranaceous coating the seeds 

 are colored a dark "wood brown" (R. XL). 



ZAGLOUL. 1 



(Notes from Gizeh Garden, Cairo, Nov. 12, 1913.) 



Except for a few trees in the older palace gardens around Cairo, including those 

 from which these notes were taken, the culture of the Zagloul variety is confined to 

 the cool regions of the Mediterranean coast, the greatest number of trees being found 

 around Rosetta and Edku, but the fruit is produced in considerable quantities around 

 Ramleh and Alexandria. 



The trees are very tall, but more slender than those of Samany, and the crowns 

 are not as spreading. The leaves are 11 to 12 feet long, the rib rather light, small, 

 and inclined to be flattened at the base, but tapering rather slowly toward the apex, 

 so that its curving is stiff, rather than graceful. 



The spine area is very short, only 15 to 18 inches, the spines 1J to 6 inches long, 

 slender, weak and acute, usually placed singly. 



The pinnae in the lower part of the blade range from 18 to 26 inches in length, 22 to 

 25 inches long through the middle of the blade, and diminish to 12 or 15 inches at 

 the apex. They are rather narrow, not more than an inch broad in the lower portion 

 of the blade, and not exceeding 1J inches in the middle portion; smooth, rather soft, 

 and seldom acute. 



The paired groups are greatly in the majority, and quadruple groups are infrequent. 

 The pulvini are inconspicuous and none are caudate or coalescent. The fruitstalks 

 are short, heavy, erect or but little outcurved, the strands (shamrokh) being of medium 

 length, rather coarse. 



The fruits are 2| to 2| inches long and 1| inches broad, usually oblique and unsym- 

 metrical, the broadest portion about three-fifths of the distance from the base, from 



i This is the name of an Egyptian family. It is stated that one Zagloul was the ruler of the Rashid 

 country many years ago and that this date was named for him. 



