DATES OF EGYPT AND THE SUDAN. 11 
The second economic point is that to get the real profit the present 
careless and filthy methods of curing and packing must give way to 
modern sanitary methods, and the fruit, in itself really of high 
quality, must be packed in neat, attractive boxes or cartons, when 
it would command three times the retail price it brings to-day. 
SUBDISTRICT OF FAYUM AND THE NILE VALLEY. 
The valley portion of the desert subtropical zone, beginning above 
Gizeh and extending, for convenience, to the first cataract, at Aswan, 
comprises the provinces of Beni Suef, Minieh, Siut (Assiut), Girgeh, 
Keneh, and Aswan, with a total of over 3,000,000 taxed date trees, 
or more than half of the entire number of the taxed trees of Egypt. 
While a few of the choicer named varieties are grown in gardens of 
well-to-do people, nearly the entire number of these trees are of the 
balady, or seedling type, of every color and character, though those of 
superior quality are few, and there is a strong leaning toward the dry 
types. It is doubtful whether anywhere else in the world can be 
found so large a number of date trees of so low a commercial quality 
and containing so small a number of trees of standard varieties and 
uniform product. The nearly a half million date trees of Fayum 
are of about the same character, and from the similarity of the 
climate to that of the northern portion of Upper Egypt Fayum is 
included with the valley division of the desert subtropical zone. 
If one but for a moment considers the possible difference between 
financial returns which would be realized from these millions of 
balady, or seedling, trees and an equal number of such valuable varie- 
ties as might be grown in their places, the results are astounding. 
Sir William Willcocks’s estimate of the annual value of the product 
of 5,200,000 date trees of Upper Egypt at £1,040,000 makes the 
average value of each tree only 4 shillings, or about $1. Remembering 
that this portion of the Nile Valley and the depression of the Fayum 
afford ideal conditions for growing the choicest of the world’s date 
varieties, we should picture these sections as planted with such 
choice Egyptian varieties as the Siwah, the oasis Saidy, the Algerian 
Deglet Noor (which would find its optimum temperature conditions 
about Keneh or Luxor), and some of the most valuable Arabian 
varieties. 
From the most reliable estimates that could be obtained at Bed- 
rashen, the annual revenue realized by the grower of the Siwah 
variety would be about $2.50 per tree, even with the present crude 
methods of handling. The Saidy, apparently adapted to the higher 
heat conditions of the upper valley, would be no less profitable. 
With modern packing methods the above figures could at least be 
doubled. If the quality of the trees of this section could be so 
changed that they would be bringing an annual return of £1 per 
