18 BULLETIN 1125, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The fruit " is 1^ to If inches long, seven-eighths of an inch to 1 inch broad, 

 blocky, with broad square base rounding to a broad obtuse apex. The skin is 

 rather coarsely wrinkled both longitudinally and transversely and partially 

 loosened from the flesh. The darker portions of the flesh have a translucent 

 appearance and are nearest to "liver brown" (R. XIV)" in color, with a 

 delicate lavender bloom. 



A basal zone of about one-fourth the length of the fruit is a "tawny olive " 

 (R. XXIX) and is opaque in appearance. The flesh is three-sixteenths of an 

 inch thick, firm, slightly granular, somewhat sticky ; an outer zone of one-third 

 of the thickness is of the exterior color, while the nearly transparent inner 

 portion is close to "olive ochre" (R. XXX), with a little more suggestion of 

 green. 



The flavor is heavily sweet, rich, and a little cloying, but of the quality usually 

 sought after by date purchasers in this country. After being packed seven 

 months the quality is in no way impaired, and where not reached by weevils 

 these dates would sell as well as at Thanksgiving time. No variety has 

 been tried that stood the test better. 



The seeds are flve-sixteenths of an inch to 1 inch in length, three-eighths of 

 an inch broad, smoothly rounded, the germ pore nearly central, the ventral 

 furrow narrow and shallow, the color close to " tawny olive" (R. XXIX). 



The fruits, packed in paper boxes and rather dry, averaged 35 to 40 to the 

 pound. The percentage of seed weight to the total weight of fruit is 11.6, a 

 ratio too high to mark this date as of absolutely first quality, yet with its other 

 good qualities a great deal can be allowed in this respect. 



These fruits ripen in the heat of the Libyan oases in October. Whether 

 they will find, sufficient heat for their perfection in anj^ portion of the United 

 States outside of the Salton Basin is perhaps doubtful. Temperature records 

 of only one of these oases have been kept. A record of seven years at Dakhleh - 

 (Table I) shows a mean annual temperature of 74° F., which is slightly higher 

 than that of Palm Springs, Calif. ; and for the growing months of February to 

 October, inclusive, a mean of 78.40° F. The summation of heat units is about 

 the same as that of Tuggiirt (Tougourt) in Algeria, which suggests about the 

 same temperature requirements as for the Deglet Noor. This indicates that 

 this variety may be expected to reach maturity in the United States only in the 

 heat conditions afforded by the Salton Basin of California or in the hot lower 

 portion of the Colorado Valley from Needles to the Mexican line. 



This variety, as seen by the writer, is the great export date of Khargeh and 

 Dakhleh Oases, and Sheik Abu Bakr, of Dakhleh, is authority for the state- 

 ment that it is the chief date of the entire chain of oases of the Libyan Desert, 

 from Siwah at the northwest, which lies about 400 miles southwest of Cairo, 

 through Baharieh, Farafreh, and Dakhleh to Khargeh, the most southeasterly, 

 lying 120 miles due west of Luxor. ^° 



They have together an extreme nortli to south range of about 300 mile? 

 through a practically rainless region of dry air and intense desert heat. Siwah 

 is said to be 78 feet below sea level. The other oases of the chain lie at eleva- 

 tions ranging from near sea level to three or four hundred feet above. Only 

 Khargeh has railway connection with the Nile Valley ; from the other oases 

 the dates reach the Nile Valley by camel caravans commanded by Bedouin 

 traders who buy the entire export crop of the desert people at their gardens. 



The common occurrence of this date as the leading variety of the widely de- 

 tached oases, while it is unknown in the Nile Valley." suggests that they have 

 had it in possession a long time, perhaps dating back to a period when al- 

 legiance to the Egyptian Government was not acknowledged and when com- 

 munication was much more free and regular by the desert trails between the 

 oases than that between the oases and the Nile Valley. 



In the enumeration of the taxed date palms of Upper Egypt for 1907 the 

 oasis of Baharieh is credited with 98,996, Dakhleh with 106,344, and Khargeh 



1* Notes made near the Temple of Nadurah. Khargeh Oasis, Oct. 8. 1913. 



" Described from fruit packed in cartons at Sheik Abu Bakr's, Rashida, Dakhleh Oasis, 

 Oct. 18, 1913. 



1" Siwah is approximately 25° 30' east of Greenwich and in 29° north latitude. Ba- 

 harieh is crossed by the meridian of 29° and lies just north of 28° latitude. Farafreh 

 lies close to the intersection of the meridian of 28° and the parallel of 27°. Dakhleh 

 lies about equally on either side of the meridian of 29° and at about 25° 30' north lati- 

 tude. Khargeh lies with its greatest extent north and south about 30° 40' east and 

 from 24° 30' to 26° north latitude. 



^•^ Unless the Siwah of Gizeh Province proves to be identical. 



