APRIL 1 TO JUNE 3 0, 19 2 9 



41 



80780 to 80809 — Continued. 



in the Coachella Valley of California 

 have attracted attention on the one 

 hand because of the excellence of the 

 fruit and on the other because the 

 flower clusters have seldom set many 

 fruits. From investigations in Iraq it 

 appears that this Landicap is dimin- 

 ished by- planting on heavy soil and 

 pollinating very promptly after the 

 flowers open. The variety is well 

 known and widely distributed in Iraq, 

 but was not found in abundance except 

 at Mandali. 



80783. Azrakani. Obtained at Mandali. 

 A medium to small-sized, amber-col- 

 ored date somewhat similar to Allona 

 [No. 80780], and also very likely a 

 seedling of Amir Haj [No. 80781]. A 

 rare variety found chiefly at Mandali. 



80784. Badami. Obtained at Mandali. An 

 inferior variety, probably a seedling of 

 Zaheedy, to which the fruit has some 

 resemblance, though oblong rather than 

 ODovate. 



80785. BaJirah. Obtained at Mandali. A 



variety fairly well known north and 

 east of Baghdad, but nowhere very 

 abundant. It is a long, narrow, amber- 

 colored date of good flavor, resembling 

 the Okt Fteemy variety from North 

 Africa. It cures well and is said to be 

 one of the earliest ripening varieties 

 in northern Iraq. 



80786. Bairulcdar. Obtained at Mandali. 

 A medium to large-sized amber-colored 

 date of fair quality local to Mandali. 



80787. Banawish. Obtained at Mandali. 



80788. BarJH. Obtained near Basra. An 

 ovate amber date of excellent quality, 

 already known from a few specimens 

 growing in the Coachella Valley of 

 California. It is found chiefly in 

 southern Iraq, where it is rare but 

 well known and highly esteemed. It is 

 one of the few varieties which are 

 sweet in the " khalal " stage — the pe- 

 riod immediately preceding the soften- 

 ing which accompanies complete ma- 

 turity. 



80789 and 80790. Bedraya. Probably the 

 best dry date in Iraq. The fruit is 

 medium to large, oblong, straw colored, 

 and mild flavored. The variety is well 

 known in northern Iraq. It was not 

 found in large numbers in any of the 

 localities visited, but was said to be 

 more abundant in Bedra, the oasis of 

 its origin. 



80789. Obtained at Mandali. 



80790. Obtained from the Oasis of 

 Bedra thrtugh the courtesy of J. 

 F. Webster, Inspector General of 

 Agriculture in Iraq. 



80791. Braim. Obtained at Basra. A 

 medium-sized oblong amber date com- 

 mon on the Shaat Al Arab. Almost 

 the entire crop in southern Iraq is 

 harvested in the " khalal " or preripe 

 stage, boiled, dried and exported to 

 other parts of Iraq and to India, Per- 

 sia, and Arabia. 



80792. Dairi, Obtained at Basra. A com- 

 mon variety in southern Iraq, said to 

 be almost on a par with Sayer [No. 

 80808] in its resistance to adverse con- 

 ditions. The purplish-brown fruit is 

 medium to large, oblong-elliptical, and 

 of good quality. It now appears that 

 there are a number of palms of this 

 variety already growing in the Coa- 



80780 to 80809— Continued. 



chella Valley of California, although 

 their identity was in doubt prior to the 

 recent investigations of this depart- 

 ment in Iraq. 



80793. Digal Iman Husain. Obtained at 

 Mandali. A seedling date of which 

 only a few palms have been propa- 

 gated locally. The fruit is oblong, 

 rather large, and of the amber type, 

 characterized by a darker color at the 

 base than at the apex. 



80794. Digal Umacl. A local variety in 

 Mandali. The fruit resembles some- 

 what the Khadrawy of northern Iraq. 



80795. Fursi. Obtained in Basra. A va- 

 riety occurring, though not very com- 

 mon, in southern Iraq. Observations- 

 on a specimen of this variety, now 

 fruiting at the United States Experi- 

 ment Date Garden, Indio, Calif., in- 

 dicate that it is promising for testing 

 in more humid date areas. The fruit 

 is nearly black, medium sized, oblong- 

 elliptical, and of good quality. 



80796. Gantar. Obtained in Basra. A 

 small subspherical amber date said to 

 be late ripening. It is said that nearly 

 2 per cent of the adult female palm 

 population of the Shaat Al Arab belong 

 to this variety. It is also not un- 

 common in the date gardens of the 

 Tigris and the lower Euphrates. 



80797. Gnami. A male variety of south- 

 ern Iraq obtained in Basra. 



80798. Jaafary. Obtained in the Oasis of 

 Mandali, where this variety is chiefly 

 found. A good soft black date from 

 northern Iraq. It is medium to large 

 and oblong to broadly elliptical. 



80799. Karunfuli. A local variety occur- 

 ring at Mandali. The medium-sized 

 fruit is of the black type and resembles 

 the Jaafary [No. 80798] in quality, but 

 differs in shape, being ovate rather 

 than oblong. 



80800. Khadrawy of northern Iraq. Ob- 

 tained in Mandali. An entirely dif- 

 ferent variety from the Khadrawy of 

 Basra, southern Iraq, which has al- 

 ready become established in the south- 

 western United States. Owing partly 

 to the fact that they do not occur in 

 the same localities, it was not recog- 

 nized in Iraq prior to the investiga- 

 tions of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture that two of their im- 

 portant varieties were going under the 

 same name. The fruit of the northern 

 variety is very similar to that of the 

 southern variety, but is larger and 

 later in ripening. 



80801. Khasab. Obtained in Basra. A 

 medium-sized black date said to be 

 the latest-ripening variety in southern 

 Iraq. Sometimes the dates are al- 

 lowed to remain on the palms until 

 the coming of the Christmas frosts. 

 Although the flavor is but indifferent, 

 yet a date which so lengthens the 

 season for fresh fruit does not lack 

 popularity. About 1 in 6,000 palms on 

 the banks of the Shaat Al Arab is of 

 this variety, and it is to be found on 

 the banks of the Tigris as far north 

 as Baghdad, but has not been found 

 on the Euphrates. 



80802. Klxatooni. A local variety in Man- 

 dali. The fruit is small to medium 

 sized, oblong, purplish black, and of 

 fair quality. 



