106 DATEGROWING 



draughts, so as to prevent the pollen from being 

 scattered. The male flowers are allowed to remain so 

 for twenty to twenty -four hours before being used. 



"As soon as the female flowers have burst their 

 enveloping spathe, the cultivator considers them fit 

 for impregnation. He then takes with him a number 

 of male sprigs, climbs up the female tree, and inserts 

 one or two sprigs of male flowers into each bunch of 

 female flowers, securing them with a strip of date 

 leaflet. If the cultivator finds that some of the more 

 forward female spathes have not yet burst, to save 

 himself the trouble of reclimbing, he splits them open 

 and inserts the male sprigs as before. Only very 

 small and backward spathes he leaves for a subsequent 

 operation, when he thinks them suflBciently matured.'' 



The operation always takes place in the middle 

 of the day, since dampness is the greatest factor in 

 failures. In Egypt, any time between ten a. m. and 

 three p. m. is considered suitable. In Algeria, the 

 cultivator does not work if a north or east wind is 

 blowing, but does not object to a south or west wind, 

 as these two are hot and dry. 



It is preferable to shake the male sprig over the 

 female flower, before tying it in place, as the pollen 

 thus reaches all parts of the cluster to better advantage. 

 If a sheet of paper is held under the cluster, the 

 pollen which falls can be caught and saved for the 

 next palm. A paper bag is the best thing in which to 

 carry the male flowers. It is probable that future 

 experimentation will suggest some improvement over 

 the Arab's method of handling the pollen. A weak 

 bellows, such as is used for insect powder, has been 

 suggested. 



As far as the pollen is concerned, the most 



