22 BULLETIN 271, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The fruit in ripening presents a very beautiful appearance, the bunghes being 
heavy on long strands (shamrokh). The half-ripe fruit is about 24 inches long, often 
oblique, a little curved, and with a peculiar long-pointed apex (Pl. VI). The color is 
a mingling of “‘apricot orange” (R. XIV) with ‘‘ochraceous orange” (R. XV). The 
flesh is thick, the interior of which is satiny white. In ripening, the fruit becomes con- 
siderably reduced in size, and is about 2 inches long and seven-eighths of an inch to 1 
inch broad, with the skin softly wrinkled and an appearance of bloom. The color is 
now a shiny “‘Brussels brown” (R. III). The oblique form and long point are still 
well retained (fig. 4). The flesh is soft, but not sticky, very rich and sweet, with a 
distinctive flavor, which places it in a high class among dates. The smooth oblong 
seed is narrow and rather delicate for the size of the fruit, being 14 to 1,3; inches long, 
five-sixteenths of an inch broad, rounding about equally and obtusely at either end. 
but the apex is often apiculate. The germ pore is placed about two-fifths of the seed 
length from tke apex, the ventral furrow being shallow and narrow. us color of the 
seed is close to ‘“‘Sayal brown” (R. X XIX). 
Samples of this fruit brought from Merowe and examined in Washington on May 20 
of the following year, though still in perfect condition, cid not possess quite the high 
flavor of the recently matured fruit. 
This variety is considered by the English residents of the Dongola and Halia proy- 
inces to be the finest date of dessert quality in the Sudan. It is nowhere found in 
commercial quantities, and the pos- 
session of a few trees is regarded as 
tinction, the fruit being kept to 
o-fer to guests or sent as presents. 
The gift of an offshoot from this 
varlety is a mark of especial favor 
or courtesy. Davie states that this 
variety ‘‘can be treated asa soft ora 
dry date,’’ also that ‘‘an ardeb (300 
to 320 pounds) will fetch as muchas 
192 piasters ($9.62 in United States 
money). There is not much trade in this variety, however, as the quantity is limited.” 
Itis claimed to be one of the four varieties originally obtained by the Dongola people from 
the Sukkot region, where it is to be found to-day in greater numbers than in Dongola. 
A very interesting question of synonymy arises from the fact that among samples 
of dates collected from near Aswan for Mr. Thomas Brown, HORN O US Se of the Egyp- 
tian Ministry of Agriculture, was one of a variety called ‘‘Bartamoda,’’ which upon 
careful comparison could not be distinguished from the sample of Bentamoda, which 
the writer brought from Merowe. Also, in October, 1911, Mr. A. Aaronsohn, acting 
as agent for Mr. Fairchild, purchased at Aswan, among others, 10 offshoots of “‘ Bar- 
tamoda,”’ (under 8: P. I. No. 32720). 
As offshoots have been brought down the river from Sukkot to the Aswan region for 
many years, it would have been probable that so fine a variety as the Bentamoda 
would be among them, and with the carelessness of these people about names, which 
often pass by word of mouth, the discrepancy in this case is not surprising. As to the 
meaning of the name as used in Dongola, the writer Paes get no satisfactory explana- 
tion. To the question whether it was from ‘‘bint” or ‘‘bent,’’ daughter or girl, they 
insisted that 1t was neither. 
A special trip to Aswan was made early in February, 1914, for the purpose of study- 
ing on the ground the question of the identity of the dates known under these two 
names. A close examination was made of the few trees known as “‘ Bartamoda” to be 
found near the village, and through the courtesy of the omda samples of the fruit were 
obtained, so as to settle beyond question the identity of the two (Pl. VII). A very 
intelligent native gardener, familiar with the trade in date offshoots from the Sudan 
region, also emphatically testifies that Bentamoda and “‘ Bartamoda” are the same date. 
Fic. 4.—Outlines of the Bentamoda date in fresh condition, 
from Merowe, Dongola Province, Sudan. (Natural si<e.) 
rather a mark of wealth and dis-- 
= 
¢ 
4 
7 
; 
’ 
