ATE VARIETIES 239 



gray bloom almost unnoticeable. Skin almost tough 

 but rather thin, coarsely wrinkled longitudinally, 

 sometimes sepai-ating from the flesh in longitudinal 

 folds. Flesh very firm, one-eighth to three-sixteenths 

 inch thick, translucent golden amber in color, 

 syrupy and tender. Seed slender oblong, sometimes 

 slightly curved dorso-ventrally, blunt at base, blunt 

 to broadly pointed at apex, seven-eighths inch in 

 length, one-fourth inch in breadth, grayish-brown in 

 color, smooth, ventral channel broadly open. Flavor 

 extremely sweet and honey-like, but not rich. 



In the constantly saturated adobe soil of Tempe, 

 Arizona, Halawi has produced fruit much superior 

 to that imported annually for the American market. 

 The dates are sufficiently firm to pack in small boxes 

 without losing their form, and present an attractive 

 contrast to the compact mass which is usually sold 

 in the groceries. They are rich in sugar and possess 

 the flavor to which the buying public is accustomed; 

 therefore they will always be marketable to advantage. 

 The variety does fully as well in California as in 

 Arizona, ripening in September, and is certain always 

 to have an important place in the commercial pro- 

 duction of the United States. 



Halawi Makkawi, The Sweet Date of Mecca. 

 This variety is known at Baghdad and at Hilleh 

 (where it is most common) simply as Halawi, but it is 

 entirely distinct from the better-known Busreh 

 variety of that name, and I have added the epithet 

 Makkawi, to avoid confusion. As the epithet 

 indicates, this variety was brought to Baghdad at 

 some time in the past by pilgrims returning from 

 Mecca, and it is now fairly common, although the 



