24 BULLETIN 1125, V. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
from Siwa Oasis, they admitted a little later that they had trees 
of the Ghrasali from *'shettla" that had been brought from Siwa. 
thus establishing the point that " shettla " could be brought from 
there and live. 
The writer's trip to Egypt in 1920 resulted in the importation by 
the Department of Agriculture of 1.000 authentic Saidy offshoots 
from Kharga Oasis and of 1,000 shoots, now known to be of the 
same variety, carefully selected from the best plantations in the 
section about Bedrashen in Upper Gizeh. Plates VI and VII 
show materials and methods of packing these offshoots for shipment 
to America. All of these trees have been planted in quarantine 
nurseries in the Coachella Valley in California. In the fall of 1021 
the writer returned to Egypt and by the middle of March, 1922. 
shipped to the United States about 7,000 offshoots of the Saidy 
variety, most of which were obtained in the vicinity of Gizeh. About 
650 were secured from Kharga. 
A summary of the importations of the Saidy date by the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, beginning with the original shipment of 
" Wahi " fruits, is as follows : 
As "Wahi" (fruit only), from Fay urn. said to come originally from the 
oasis of Baharia, by Fairchild, S. P. I. No. 7001. in 1901. 
As " Oga de Bedrichen " (a few offshoots), from Hawamdia, by Zervudaehi. 
S. P. I. No. 7632. in 1901. 
As "Saydy" (a few offshoots), from Baharia, by Rankin, S. P. I. No. 11485, 
in 1904. 
As " Saydy " (a few offshoots), from Siwa. by Rankin, S. P. I. Nos. 15215 
and 15220. in 1905. 
As Saidy (a few offshools). from Kharga and Dakhla, by Mason, in I'M 1. 
As Saidy (1.000 offshoots), from Dakhla. by Mason, in 1920. 
As •• Sewi" (1.000 offshoots), from Gizeh. by Mason, in 1920. 
As " Sewi " (about 6,500 offshoots), from Gizeh, by Mason, 1922. 
As Saidy (about 650 offshoots), from Kharga, by Mason, 1922. 
As can be seen from this summary the Department of Agriculture 
has received offshoots of the Saidy date from four of the upper oases 
in the Libyan Desert, and also from the Nile Valley near Gizeh. 
Offshoots from all five of these localities arc now growing in the 
Government date gardens in the Southwestern States, and their 
identity and the identity of the Saidy from all of these localities lias 
been established beyond question. Eight importations of offshoots 
of this variety have been made from Egypt, the first in 1901, the last 
in 1922. and altogether about 10,000 offshoots of this variety have 
been brought to the Southwestern States. 
Xowhere in Egypt is it possible to see growing side by side Saidy 
offshoots from all these different localities. This final conclusive 
demonstration as to the true nature of the 200,000 or more date palms 
growing in the Xile Valley near the pyramids has been worked out 
in the date gardens in the Coachella Valley in California, where these 
offshoots have been proved to be identical with the Saidy variety 
from the upper oases of the Libyan Desert. The discovery of the 
true nature of the " Sewi " variety in the Nile Valley has opened up 
to the date grower a large supply of offshoots where g- od transporta- 
tion facilities make them obtainable at moderate prices. It is very 
doubtful whether enough offshoots could have been obtained from the 
oases of the Libyan Desert to have permitted the rapid growth of the 
