DESCRIPTION OF PLATES. 



Plate I. (Frontispiece.) Fig. 1. — The old canal of Bassorah, which leads from the 

 Shat-el-Arab Eiver up to the town of Bassorah through plantations of date 

 palms. Fig. 2. — A new plantation of dates at Bassorah, showing how closely to 

 one another the irrigation ditches are run. Barley is grown on these areas in 

 which the young palms have just been set. Fig. 3.— The border of the area at 

 Bassorah which is watered by tidal irrigation. Patches of alfalfa grow on the 

 newly irrigated areas. 



Plate II. Fig. 1. — An old date garden at Bagdad, the property of Sheik Abdul Kader 

 Kedery, one of the richest date planters in the region. Fig. 2. — Irrigation ditches 

 of a new plantation at Bassorah, showing the frequency of the canals, the nature 

 of the soil, and in the background the primitive habitations of the date peasants. 

 Fig. 3. — Typical village and date palms on the old Bassorah canal; in the fore- 

 ground, the oriental gondola or "bellem," which is the principal vehicle of 

 Bassorah. 



Plate III. Fig. 1. — A bag of Maskat dates, showing old method of packing for export, 

 Fig. 2. — Typical date plantation at Abu Kassib, the most famous date center of 

 Bassorah, belonging to Hadji Abdulla Nigem, the most noted date merchant of 

 the region. Fig. 3. — Bassorah date peasant with his spade, the principal hand 

 tool used in the date plantations of this region. 



Plate IV. Fig. 1. — Panorama, from Mr. Marine's house, of a new date area on the 

 Shat-el-Arab Eiver above Bassorah. The patches are planted with barley. Fig. 

 2. — Irrigation machines at work near Bagdad. In the foreground the ordinary 

 primitive machine called a chird; in the background a more modern invention, 

 resembling a chain and bucket pump, operated by horsepower. Fig. 3. — Intake 

 of irrigation canal on the Tigris above Bassorah, showing how low the banks 

 are and that no lifting of the water is necessary on this part of the river in 

 order to fill the irrigating ditches. A Turkish guardhouse is seen on the left. 



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