DATE CULTUKE IN" EGYPT AND THE SUDAN 17 
nearly the entire Mediterranean coast of the Delta, and after a wide 
break above Port Said it appears in considerable numbers at El 
Arish, at the mouth of WadI Arish, near the frontier of Egyptian 
territory toward Palestine. According to Popenoe (16), it is grown 
commercially at Ghuzzeh (Gaza) in southern Palestine, near the 
coast. 
Its culture extends southward along either Delta border as far as 
Cairo and Kerdaseh. Trees at the latter place are said to be more 
than 100 years old. In upper Giza Province the groves are 
younger, and the culture is recently being considerably extended 
along the warm sandy border lands toward the desert. 
In propagation the Hayany is one of the most prolific of all date 
varieties, not only producing numerous offshoots around the base of 
the young trunk but continuing to put them out for several feet up 
the trunk, so that it is often found necessary to cut them off while 
young so that they may not interfere with the fruitfulness of the 
tree. 
Though the offshoots of this variety are usually small, the}' are 
hardy and easily established. 
A rather small palm, both in height and in trunk diameter, it yet 
makes a rapid growth as a young tree. (See notes under " Compara- 
tive height of Egyptian date palms.") 
Its leaves are feathery and graceful, making this one of the most 
beautiful varieties of the date palm in cultivation, well worth a place 
in any dooryard as an ornamental alone. 
The beauty of the regular rows of these palms is greatly enhanced 
by the attractiveness of the heavy crops of fruit. 
The slender fruit stalks, 3 or 4 feet long, carry the heavy, com- 
pact bunches of fruit well outside and below the crown of leaves. 
The complete circle of bunches of the brilliant carmine fruit, sus- 
pended from the vaselike crowns of feathery leaves, combine with 
them to form capitals for the regularly sculptured columns of the 
trunks, making on the whole a structure which is seldom surpassed 
for beauty (pi. 5, A). 
Much valuable light is thrown on the early history of this variety 
in the great work of Martius (10, vol. 3; p. 259) in which he quotes 
from Raffeneau-Delile (17, p. 78), mentioning 10 " subvarieties " of 
Egyptian dates, among them the Haj^any with the explanation, 
"nomine proprio viri cujusdam Hayan appellatum " (proper name 
of a man who was called Hayan). 
As Raffeneau-Delile visited Egypt in 1778 and the years follow- 
ing, this is invaluable information as to the early origin of this 
widely distributed and popular variety. Here is also probably the 
correct explanation of the origin of the name, the onty explanation 
known to the writer. The date of Raffeneau-Delile's notice of the 
Hayany variety agrees well with the reputed age of these trees at 
Kerdaseh, referred to on another page. 
Wilkinson (22, vol. 1, p. 4-63), in a list of agricultural products 
of Egypt, states: 
The dates sold in Egypt are of several kinds, some being native and some 
imported from other countries. The most common are — [Here follows a list 
of 6 varieties from " Seewee " Oasis and a general list of 16 varieties, mostly 
Egyptian, comprising "Aamree," "Amhat," and " Samanee," and also " Hyanee 
from Birket el Hag."] 
10344—27 3 
