220 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



8738 to 8745 — Continued. 



Bagdadians to eat with walnuts, and is preferred by many to any other kind. 

 Personally, I found it a very eatable date, and it has the very great advantage of 

 not soiling the hands. The flesh is, however, even when fresh, hard enough 

 to allow shipping. In fact the dates are even sent, when fresh, from Mundeli 

 to Bagdad in skins. Generally, however, the fruit is allowed to dry on the tree 

 until it becomes hard. It is not exported from Bagdad, but consumed in Meso- 

 potamia. The price sold dry is about $3.20 to $3.60 per 100 kilos on the Bag- 

 dad market. It is suited to a region with less water than that of Bassorah. It 

 matures about the middle of September to the 1st of October in Bagdad." 

 {Fair child.) (No. 867.) 



8740. 



Bedraihe. ' ' This ripens in September and the first of October, and is allowed 

 to dry on the trees. As sold here in the markets it is a yellow date, about 1J to 

 1 J inches long and three-fourths inch to 1 inch in diameter. The base of the 

 date is quite dry, as I have seen it, but the tip is transparent or semitrans- 

 parent and quite sweet, although at this season of too gummy a consistency to 

 be agreeable. In Bagdad this date is generally sold dry, and brings $4 to 

 $4.20 for 210 pounds, i. e., it is the most expensive according to weight, but 

 the other sorts, having a great deal of water in their composition, contain 

 proportionately less food. Many Bagdadians prefer this sort, when fresh and 

 softer, to all other kinds. There is an immense consumption of this variety 

 in Bagdad. I believe this date would be a success in America because it is so 

 different from other sorts, and for the reason that it is a remarkably good 

 keeper, and when not too old is really very good eating. It is far superior to 

 the dry dates of Egypt, and not to be confused with dry dates in general, for 

 it has scarcely any disagreeable fibers about the seed. It deserves attention 

 in American plantations." (Fairchild.) (No. 868.) 



8741. 



Maktum. "Considered by the Arab sheik, Abdul Kader Kederry, of Bag- 

 dad, to be the finest date, except one, in the world, the Mirhage from Mandele, 

 which it resembles, being superior. It is a date not often seen on the Bagdad 

 market, and I was unable to get any of good quality to taste. A very fine 

 date, which was said to be of the Maktum sort, which I tasted, was a richer 

 date than the Kustawi, although of the same general type. The probabilities 

 are that this is a delicate sort which produces only a small quantity of fruit. 

 The date I tasted came from Kasimain, but the tree is cultivated up the river 

 from Bagdad. These trees were donated to the Department by Sheik Abdul 

 Kader Kederry, of Bagdad. ' ' ( Fairchild. ) (No. 869. ) 



8742. 



Burni. "For a description of this date see No. 8569. I believe it properly 

 belongs to Maskat. It being winter I am not able to verify the identification 

 of these varieties, but must buy the plants of Arabs or others who know the 

 sorts. ' ' ( Fairchild. ) (No. 870. ) 



8743. 



Zehedi. "This is probably the commonest date about Bagdad. It is the 

 (in iciest to develop and the heaviest yielder of all the dates about Bagdad, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Raphael Casparkan, of Bagdad, who very kindly donated a lot of 

 twenty-four palms to the Department, including part of these. It is a cheap 

 date here, selling for only $1.40 to $2 per 210 pounds. The date is small, not 

 oyer 1$ inches long by three-fourths inch in diameter. It is not entirely like 

 Egyptian dates, but is so dry that the individuals do not stick together. They 

 have very little fiber, the stone is small, and the flesh quite sweet even when 

 dry. When fresh this sort is packed in skins and exported to Egypt and Sin- 

 gapore, under the name of Kursi. It is often sold on the bunch when fresh 

 and called Zehedi Gus, in which shape it is very highly thought of. I tasted 

 the so-called Kursi and found it decidedly inferior in flavor and amount of 

 lies! i to the Kustawi. The variety is, however, I am assured, the most resistant 

 of any, so far as water is concerned, being quite drought resistant, and although the 



