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



from Siwa Oasis, they admitted a little later that they had trees 

 of the Ghrasali from " shettla " that had been brought from Siwa, 

 thus establishing the point that "shettla" could be brought from: 

 there and live. 



The writer's trip to Egypt in 1920 resulted in the importation by 

 the Department of Agriculture of 1,000 authentic Saidy offshoots 

 from Kharga Oasis and of 1,000 shoots, now known to be of the 

 same variety, carefully selected from the best plantations in the 

 section about Bedrashen in Upper Gizeh. Plates VI and VII 

 show materials and methods of packing these offshoots for shipment 

 to America. All of these trees have been planted in quarantine 

 nurseries in the Coachella Valley in California. In the fall of 1921 

 the writer returned to Egypt and by the middle of March, 1922,, 

 shipped to the United States about 7,000 offshoots of the Saidy 

 variety, most of which were obtained in the vicinity of Gizeh. About 

 650 were secured from Kharga. 



A summary of the importations of the Saidy date by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, beginning with the original shipment of 

 " Wahi " fruits, is as follows : 



As " WaM " (fruit only), from Fayiim, said to come originally from the 

 oasis of Baharia, by Fairchild, S. P. I. No. 7001, in 1901. 



As " Oga de Bedrichen " (a fevv offshoots), from Hawamdia, by Zervndachi, 

 S. P. I. No. 7632, in 1901. 



As "Saydy" (a few offshoots), from Baharia, by Rankin, S. P. I. No. 11485,. 

 in 1904. 



As "Saydy" (a few offshoots), from Siwa, by Rankin, S. P. I. Nos. 1521.'> 

 and 15220, in 1905. 



As Saidy (a few offshoots), from Kharga and Dakhla, by Mason, in 1914. 



As Saidy (1,000 offshoots), from Dakhla, by Mason, in 1920. 



As " Sewi" (1,000 offshoots), from Gizeh, by Mason, in 1920. 



As " Sewi " (about 6,500 offshoots), from Gizeh, by Mason, 1922. 



As Saidy (about 650 offshoots), from Kharga, by Mason, 1922. 



As can be seen from this summary the Department of Agriculture 

 has received offshoots of the Saidj^ date from four of the upper oase& 

 in the Libyan Desert, and also from the Nile Valley near Gizeh. 

 Offshoots from all five of these localities are now growing in the 

 Government date gardens in the Southwestern States, and their 

 identity and the identity of the Saidy from all of these localities has 

 been established beyond question. Eight importations of offshoots 

 of this variety have been made from Egypt, the first in 1901, the last 

 in 1922, and altogether about 10,000 offshoots of this variety'' have 

 been brought to the Southwestern States. 



Nowhere in Egypt is it possible to see growing side by side Saidy 

 offshoots from all these different localities. This final conclusive 

 demonstration as to the true nature of the 200,000 or more date palms 

 growing in the Nile Valley near the pyramids has been worked out 

 in the date gardens in the Coachella Valley in California, where these 

 offshoots have been proved to be identical with the Saidy variety 

 from the upper oases of the Libyan Desert. The discovery of the- 

 true nature of the " Sewi " variety in the Nile Valley has opened up- 

 to the date grower a large supply of offshoots where good transporta- 

 tion facilities make them obtainable at moderate prices. It is very 

 doubtful whether enough offshoots could have been obtained from the- 

 oases of the Libyan Desert to have permitted the rapid growth of the- 



