SEPTEMBER, 1900, TO DECEMBER, 1903. 221 



8738 to 8745 — Continued. 



product is a cheap one, the heavy yields make it a very profitable sort. It 

 ripens about September or October. It sells in Bagdad (dry), I am told, for 

 $1.40 to $2 per 210 pounds." (Fairchild.) (No. 871.) 



8744. 



Barban. ' ' This date is reported to ripen in July and yield only fairly good 

 fruits. It is the earliest ripening of the Bagdad dates, I am told, and deserves 

 a place in the gardens for this reason. This variety is red before ripening but 

 turns black when mature. It is not a very sweet sort, and not very highly 

 thought of by the Bagdadians. It is rarely cultivated except outside of Bag- 

 dad. Its early ripening qualities are what make it worthy of trial in Amer- 

 ica. It is probable that this sort will not ripen so early in America because 

 the amount of heat is probably considerably less." (Fairchild.) (No. 872.) 



8745. 



Sukeri. ' 'A very large variety of date, said by Mr. Raphael Casparkan to 

 be 2 inches or more in length, and when fresh, to be of good quality. Mr. 

 Casparkan donated these to the Government, and the determinations are his, 

 for I could not distinguish the different varieties which he selected. Worthy 

 of trial in Arizona on account of its large size." (Fairchild. ) (No. 873. ) 



8746 to 8752. Phoenix dactylifera. Date palm. 



From Bassorah, Arabia. Received through Messrs. Lathrop and Fairchild (Nos. 

 895 to 901, February 25, 1902), June 7, 1902. 



8746. 



Berhi. "A variety of date which, though never shipped to the American 

 market, is said by every one in this region to be unquestionably the best date 

 in this part of the Persian Gulf, inferior only to the Khalasa date of Hassa. It 

 ripens, as do most all these Shat-el-Arab dates, in the month of September, 

 and it is therefore likely to prove very valuable because of its superior quality 

 and its early ripening character. It ripens in September in Bassorah, where 

 the temperature goes to 117° F. in the shade. It is a sticky date, but neverthe- 

 less a variety with a very fine flavor, and grows well on adobe alluvial deposits. 

 It is watered by canal irrigation as often during the year as the tide rises, viz, 

 twice a day. I have tasted this Berhi, and it is superior to the Halawi, the 

 principal export sort, and also to the Taberzal. The seed is very small." 

 (Fairchild.) (No. 895.) 



8747. 



H'weis or Hevezi. "One of the best dates of the Persian Gulf. A delicate, 

 light-colored date of medium size, with medium-sized stone. It ripens in 

 Bassorah in September. It is very little known, even at Bassorah. Grown, as 

 are all of the dates on the Shat-el-Arab River, in stiff clay, almost adobe soil, 

 in raised areas surrounded by canals, which are flooded twice a day by water 

 from the river as it is backed up by the tides, the variety is a sticky sort, but 

 deserves the serious attention of experimenters with date palms, on account of 

 its superior flavor and excellent color. The summer temperature of Bassorah 

 rises to 117° and sometimes to 120° F. in the shade. In winter it drops to below 

 50°. The soil where the date is grown is distinctly saline. This date has not 

 been shipped to American markets, but would be a good selling date, and for 

 this reason it is well worth planting in southern California (Colorado Desert) 

 and Arizona." (Fairchild.) (No. 896.) 



8748. 



Sayer or Ustaamran. "A variety of date darker in color than the Halawi, 

 but of fair flavor. A standard sort in New York. It is said to do best on a 

 light sandy soil, and to require less water than No. 8747. Sayer is a word also 

 used to indicate a mixed lot of dates, but these trees are of a distinct long 

 fruited dark sort. The trees are taller than those of the variety Halawi, and 

 not so uniformly straight. This sort is most likely to succeed on sandy soils, 

 or, at least, to do better on sandy than on ordinary adobe soil. It is inferior 

 in quality to Halawi and Khadrawi, but, nevertheless, a good market date. It 

 is grown here very extensively. " (Fairchild.) (No. 897.) 



