THE DATE PALM COUNTRY 33 



fore, a region that has hot days but cool nights would 

 be less suited to the palm than one in which the nights 

 were hotter, even if the maximum day temperature 

 was a few degrees lower. 



In the choice of soil, few fruits seem so easily 

 pleased as the date. It is usually said that a sandy 

 loam is best, and such a soil is certainly good, but 

 the statement that it is best is a dogma that would 

 be very difficult to prove. 



The Arabic authorities, as usual, indulge in a 

 great deal of fanciful speculation on the subject. 

 Qastus says* a piece of land "spotted with black 

 and white" is the best. If he means anything, it is 

 probably that the land should be rich, with some 

 saline efflorescence. Amin al Madani, who represents 

 the most enlightened modern ideas, says.f'the best 

 soil for growing the palm is a sweet, red clay, and the 

 second best a black soil, sandy and alkaline." It is 

 a widespread Arab theory that land which has been 

 cultivated for a long time is the most desirable, and 

 the modern Baghdadi is always pleased when he can 

 plant on the site of some prehistoric city. The soil 

 of Busreh, which produces excellent dates, is an 

 exceedingly stiff clay. Much of the Egyptian soil is 

 pure adobe. It has already been mentioned that 

 Deglet Nur in Algeria succeeds in sand or clay. If a 

 sandy soil is selected, however, it will have to be 

 liberally enriched with commercial fertilizers, or, 

 better, barnyard manure, in order to produce good 



*Qastlis b. Luqa al R<imi, The Book of Greek Agriculture, Ch. 

 75. This is one of the oldest of Arabic authorities on horticulture; 

 in fact, its origin is lost in obscurity. The best trans, is that of 

 Sarjius b. Halias, an incomplete MS. of which I possess. 



fFaqlr Amin b. Hasan al Madani, Culture of the Date Palm, 

 lithographed at the Hasaniyeh press, Madina, A. D. 1886. 



