DATE CULTUKE IN EGYPT AXD THE SUDAN 31 
In the Amhat and Saidy varieties in Egypt, though they are as 
old as or older than the Hayany, the writer has so far been able to 
detect no tendency to satellites. If they exist it would require several 
seasons of very careful comparison during harvest time to segregate 
them. Though the opportunity for observation has been limited, the 
same seems to be true of the Bentamoda date as grown at Aswan 
and in Dongola. 
CONSUMPTION OF DATES IN THE HARD-RIPE STAGE 
The Arabic word " rutab " is applied to dates in a crisp or succu- 
lent stage. " Hard ripe " is the nearest English equivalent. They 
have laid down their sugar — which in the relatively cool climate of 
the Delta, especially along the coast, is present only in a low per- 
centage — and retain comparatively little astringency from the soluble 
tannin. 
According to Dowson (£, pt. i, pp. 29-32) four stages of date 
maturity are recognized in Mesopotamia — " chimri, khalal, ratab, 
and tamar. * * * The khalal is of the same shape as the matured 
fruit, though the skin is never crinkled." Dowson gives a list of 
varieties of dates of the Shat el Arab, the colors of which in the 
khalal stage are yellow, red, and yellow spotted w r ith red. He also 
presents a list of nine varieties which are "sweet, juicy, and pleas- 
ant to eat in the khalal stage and are esteemed a delicacy among the 
Arabs, though Europeans do not always care for them." 
This author further states — 
The ratab form of the date is reached when the apex becomes soft and, as 
its name denotes, moist. The skin usually becomes translucent and, as a rule, 
wrinkled, owing to the shrinking of the flesh. * * * Ratab dates are too 
squashy to transport far. There are few delicacies more delicious than Barhi 
ratab. * * * The tamar, or perfect date, is that stage in which the fruit is 
familiar in western markets. 
That these stages are relative rather than absolute is shown by the 
fact that many delicious varieties at full maturity are so soft and 
fermentable that they are wholly incapable of being carried into the 
tamar stage and will spoil if not eaten at once. " Fine to-day, gone 
to-morrow " was the response of an Arab host to the writer's praise 
of most delicious rutab dates which he had set before his guest at a 
luncheon. 
The immense crop of Hayany dates of Lower Egypt is harvested 
and shipped to the eager consumers in the crisp and juicy stage 
called " rutab " and " khalal " in Mesopotamia. The writer has 
adopted the Egyptian term " rutab " for all dates picked and shipped 
in the hard-ripe condition, although many of them may become soft 
and sticky before they are consumed. They are, however, preferred 
by most Egyptian consumers while they are still crisp and juicy. 
It is difficult from an American standpoint to account for the 
great popularity of the rutab type of dates in Lower Egypt, as 
proved by the immense volume consumed, the product of nearly two 
million trees being absorbed in this stage of ripeness. 
Apparently the appetite for them does not decrease with the 
advance of the season. After consuming the early-maturing Hayany 
dates of the Birket el Haggi and Giza districts, lasting from late 
August into October, the late-maturing coast region dates, shipped 
