16 BULLETIN 1157, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
The fruit in ripening presents a very beautiful appearance, the bunches bein^ 
heavy on long strands (shamrokh). The half -ripe fruit is about 2*4 inches 
long, often oblique, a little curved, and with a peculiar Ions-pointed apex 
The color is a mingling of " apricot orange " (R. XIV) and " ochraceous orange " 
(R. XV). The flesh is thick, its interior being a satiny white. In ripen- 
ing, the fruit becomes considerably reduced in size, and is about 2 inches 
long and seven-eighths of an inch to 1 inch broad, with the skin softly 
wrinkled and an appearance of bloom. The color is now a shiny " Brussels € 
brown" (R. III). The oblique form and long point are still well retained. 
The flesh is soft but not sticky, very rich and sweet, with a distinctive flavor 
which places it in a high class among dates. The smooth oblong seed is 
narrow and rather delicate for the size of the fruit, being 1*4 to 1t% inches 
long, five-sixteenths of an inch broad, rounding about equally and obtusely at 
either end; but the apex is often apiculate. The germ pore is placed about 
two-fifths of the seed length from the apex, the ventral furrow being shallow 
and narrow. The color of the seed is close to " Sayal brown " (R. XXIX). 
Samples of this fruit brought from Merowe and examined in Washington, 
D. C, on May 20 of the following year, though still in perfect condition, did 
not possess quite the high flavor of the recently matured fruit. 
This variety is considered by the English residents of the Dongola and Haifa 
Provinces to be the finest date of dessert quality in the Sudan. It is nowhere 
found in commercial quantities, and the possession of a few trees is regarded 
as rather a mark of wealth and distinction, the fruit being kept to offer to 
guests or sent as presents. The gift of an offshoot from this variety is a mark 
of especial favor or courtesy. Davie 13 states that this variety " can be treated 
as a soft or a dry date," also that "an ardeb (300 to 320 pounds) will fetch 
as much as 192 piasters ($9.62 in American money). There is not much trade 
in this variety, however, as the quantity is limited." It is claimed to be one 
of the four varieties originally obtained by the Dongola people from the Sukkot 
region, where it is to be found to-day in greater numbers than in Dongola. 
A very interesting question of synonymy arises from the fact that among 
samples of dates collected from near Aswan for Thomas Brown, horticulturist, 
of the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture, was one of a variety called Barta- 
moda, which upon careful comparison could not be distinguished from the 
sample of Bentamoda which the writer brought from Merowe. Also, in Octo- 
ber, 1911, Mr. Aaronsohn. acting as agent for Mr. Fairchild, of the United 
States Department of Agriculture, purchased at Aswan, among others, 10 
offshoots of " Bartamoda" (under S. P. I. No. 32720). 
As offshoots have been brought down the river from Sukkot to the Aswan 
region for many years, it would have been probable that so fine a variety as 
the Bentamoda would be among them, and with the carelessness of these people 
about names, which often pass by word of mouth, the discrepancy in this case 
is not surprising. As to the meaning of the name as used in Dongola. the 
writer could get no satisfactory explanation. To the question whether it 
was from ''bint" or "bent" (daughter or girl), they insisted that it was 
neither. 
A special trip to Aswan was made early in February, 1914, for the purpose 
of studying on the ground the question of the identity of the dates known under 
these two name's. A close examination was made of the few trees known as 
Bartamoda to be found near the village, and through the courtesy of the 
omda samples of the fruit were obtained, so as to settle beyond question the 
identity of the two. A very intelligent native gardener, familiar with the 
trade in date offshoots from the Sudan region, also emphatically testifies that 
Bentamoda and Bartamoda are the same date. . 
See also the notes on this variety under ' ; Upper Xile varietal date 
region " (p. 7) and illustrations in Department Bulletin No. 271 4 
(12, p. 22, pis. 6 and 7). 
THE HAYANY DATE 
EEGIOX OF CULTURE 
The Ha} T any is the most extensively planted and most important 
commercial date variety grown in Lower Egypt. It extends along 
13 See footnote 12 (p. 13). 
