52 BULLETIN 1457, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
HARVESTING THE AMRI DATE 
Though of only second quality, the attractive size and appearance 
and excellent shipping qualities of the Amri date have led to the 
development of a modest but very satisfactory export trade. The 
rather cool and foggy climate of El Qurein and Salhieh have led 
to the device which may be called the " pebble-floored drying yard " 
for fully utilizing the rather scanty sunshine and holding the heat 
at night. The yard is given a southern exposure, and surrounded 
on the north, east, and west by mud-brick walls about 8 feet high. 
The ground is then coated about 2 inches deep with brightly pol- 
ished pebbles from half an inch to 2 inches in diameter, collected 
from the desert. On these pebbles the freshly gathered rutab dates 
are spread in a single layer, in neat beds with narrow walks between. 
(PI. 9, J..) The heat reflected from the walls and stored in the 
pebbled floor greatly aids the curing in a climate where the autumn 
temperature is hardly sufficient for the ripening of packing dates. 
At Birket el Haggi, though the culture of this variety is not so 
general as farther north, there are several features which differ 
from those there found. Pebble-laid yards are not provided, but 
the naturally sandy and gravelly surface, warmed by a somewhat 
brighter sunshine, affords ample heat for curing. At a large Italian- 
owned plantation called Roma, between El Margand Birket el Haggi, 
the flat roofs of extensive warehouses and stables were utilized in 
drying the Amri dates, and a superior product was the result. 
The crop of Amri dates was practically all in the drying yards 
or a large part packed and shipped at Birket el Haggi on October 
12, 1921. There is an active demand for these dates in Liverpool 
and London, if early on the market, and they are rushed as much as 
possible. 
The packing is rather carefully done in pine boxes made in the 
village shops. They are not uniform, but are about 54 centimeters 
(21% inches) long, 26 centimeters (10 inches) wide, and 22 centi- 
meters (9 inches) deep, and hold 40 to 50 pounds. At other villages 
boxes holding 60 to 80 pounds were used, and at Roma plantation 
the box used held about 140 pounds. 
Brown (<•?, vol. 5) , writes of curing Amri dates as follows : 
When the bunches are taken from the tree the dates are picked from the 
shamrukh and spread on the ground on layers of small pebbles or reeds (samar 
gabali). They are allowed to dry from two to five days, according to the 
state of the weather. After this they are placed in a heap every night for 
a period of 8 to 12 days to heat and ripen. The ripe fruits are selected daily, 
and spread out into different classes, and packed in boxes containing about 40 
pounds each. * * * About three-quarters of the total quantity is sent to 
England, where they are sold at a price varying between 12 and 30 shillings 
per hundredweight, the cost of transport, etc., being about 5 shillings per kantar 
(105 pounds). 
HARVESTING, CURING, AND PACKING THE SAIDY DATE 
The gathering and curing practices for the " Sewi " of Giza 
Province and the Saidy in its home in the Libian Oases are essen- 
tially the same, except that the size of the oasis package is adapted 
to the long desert transport by camel. 
The Saidy palm is a rather heavy-bodied tree and does not reach 
the great height of the Amhat. Few of the oldest trees found in the 
