34 BULLETIN 1457, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
For dates which pass quickly into a soft condition — and some of 
the richest and most delicious are of this character — canning in glass 
jars at the garden would seem to be the safest method of disposal. 
CULTURAL OPERATIONS 
OFFSHOOT PROPAGATION 
Date-palm offshoots are a staple commodity in Egypt, with prices 
adjusted to what the market will bear, yet rather definitely gradu- 
ated according to the desirability and abundance of the varieties and 
the size and quality of the offshoots in question. 
Owing to their scarcity -and the demand for planting in villa 
gardens in the Ramleh district along the Mediterranean shore, the 
offshoots of the Zagloul variety command the highest prices paid in 
Egypt, sometimes as much as £4 or £5 Egyptian being obtained for 
an exceptionally fine one. Samany offshoots bring somewhat less, 
but are also scarce and can be obtained only in small numbers. 
Of the more abundant and strictly commercial varieties, Amri com- 
mands the highest prices and Amhat ranks next, though " Sewi," the 
valley name of the oasis Saidy, is but slightly cheaper. 
There is a growing popularity of the Amhat date for consumption 
in the rutab or fresh state, and the ready cash which 'each picking 
brings into the bazaars of Giza or Cairo is an inducement to the 
grower. On the other hand, though the superior merits of the Saidy 
as a packing date are fully recognized, it is manifest that the grower 
must pay out money to his pickers, wait for his dates to be cured and 
packed, and then await the pleasure of the buyer to come and take 
them before he can realize on his year's output. For these reasons 
the Amhat is being planted more freely than the "Sewi" in Giza 
Province at the present, and the price of Amhat offshoots has stiff- 
ened accordingly. 
Offshoots of the Hayany, the most abundant as well as the most 
prolific variety in Lower Egypt, can be purchased very cheaply in 
almost any numbers. As a rule the Egyptians have not been under 
the pressure to cut immature, unripe offshoots that prevailed during 
the early days of the date industry in California and Arizona. Off- 
shoots of choice varieties that are veritable young trees in size often 
command fancy prices and justify the outlay by certainty of growth 
and quick development. 
An interesting practice is followed in the sand-dune districts along 
the Mediterranean coast where brackish water, not too salty to sup- 
port the date palm, is found over considerable areas at depths of 12 to 
15 feet. A conical pit is dug down to the moist sand and a very large 
offshoot, sometimes nursery grown and often 6 or 7 feet high, is 
planted and covered for more than half its length in sand. When 
growth is well established the drifting sand is allowed to fill up 
around it as the tree grows, until the old level is reached. Along the 
Mediterranean coast of Egypt, quite out of reach of irrigation canals, 
there are many thousands of flourishing date trees which depend 
wholly on this underground water. Their owners often divide their 
time between caring for their trees and fishing in the shallow, brack- 
ish lakes which lie beside the sand-dune area. 
