LOCATION OF GARDENS. 13 



palms, but it was not learned that any fruits were exported or that 

 anv considerable area was planted to dates. The people of Lingah are 

 said to obtain most of their dates from Minab. 



Bahrein Island, noted as the center of the pearl fisheries of the 

 gulf, has itself a half-million date palms planted on it. but they are not 

 much more than enough to supply local gulf demands, neither are they 

 of -uperior quality. The region of Hassa, however. 60 miles inland, 

 has extensive plantations and produces one of the most delicious dates 

 of this part of the world, called the "Khalasa of Hassa." Zwemer, 

 in his "Arabia, the Cradle of Islam." remarks that the Ha-si date 

 region is not comparably as large as that of Bassorah. but he does 

 not tell how extensive it really is. Probably a million tree^ would be 

 a fair estimate. 



Bushire has few date palms about it. but the districts of Tangistan 

 and Koweis, not far oil', have plantations of considerable size, it was 

 stated by an old resident of the place. Three or four hundred tons of 

 dry dates are exported annually to India from this port. 



Of the date o-ardens of Koweit nothing was learned, but thev are 

 probably Inconsiderable in size. 



Mohammerah and Bassorah. although 30 miles apart and on opposite 

 sides of the Shat-el-Arab which separates Persia from Arabia, really 

 belong to the same general district and are the centers for export of 

 the largest single date-producing region in the world. Although no 

 count has ever been made, there are probably over live or six mil- 

 lion palms planted along the banks of the river, and as seen .from the 

 bridge of a steamer the waving crowns of these tall palms stretch 

 away in every direction to the horizon. (PL II. tig. 1.) In reality, 

 the strip of land occupied by them is from less than a mile to 3 or -I 

 miles wide and 7<» miles long, with occasional rice fields or neglected 

 areas. 



At various places along the Tigris and Euphrates, which rivers run 

 almost parallel to each other across the broad, slightly inclined plain 

 of Mesopotamia, there are date plantations varying in size from a few 

 trees to hundreds of acres. About Bagdad. 535 miles from Bassorah. 

 and at Hillah. on the Euphrates, a day's journey by camel from Bagdad, 

 there are extensive groves of dates — over a million trees in the two 

 places — and numerous superlative sorts are produced here, such as the 

 "Kustawi." "Maktum," "Taberzal." etc. Owing to the fact that 

 there is little export to restrict the number of varieties which may be 

 planted for profit, there are probably more different kinds to be found 

 about Bagdad than anywhere else in the Persian Gulf region. 



SOIL CONDITIONS. 



The date loves a slightly alkaline soil and can thrive where enough, 

 salt is present to kill most ordinary plants. It finds in the countries 



