DATE CULTURE IN EGYPT AND THE SUDAN 6 
THE LOCALIZING OF EGYPTIAN VARIETIES 
Date growing in Egypt, like many other agricultural industries, 
is subject to curious localizations, seemingly in no way related to 
soil or climatic fitness. A small district has almost a monopoly of 
flax growing, another of mishmish, or apricots; st 11 another, in 
Fayum, is devoted to olives. 
The date varieties are similarly localized, the Samany and Zag- 
loul being largely centered around Edku and Rasheid, the Amri 
along the eastern Delta border, the Amhat and Saidy (Sewi) in upper 
Giza Province, the Hayany alone of the commercial varieties en- 
joying a rather wide range — from the Mediterranean shore to Birket 
el Haggi and upper Giza, and on both sides of the valley, from 
Facous and El Qurein on the east to Kerdaseh on the west. Possibly 
this may argue a greater age as well as a more universal demand for 
the Hayany. 
EGYPT'S SMALL EXPORT-DATE INDUSTRY 
The sandy border of the Delta toward the eastern desert has de- 
veloped the only export-date culture in Egypt in the growing of the 
Amri variety, known for a century and fully described under " Lead- 
ing commercial varieties." 
Here is an export industry, largely due to the enterprise of Greek 
and Italian traders, where, in contrast with the curing and packing 
methods in vogue in other districts, considerable care and skill have 
been developed in producing a product which can compete with Basra 
and Tafilet dates in the English markets. Layer packing in neat pine 
boxes, with some attention to cleanliness and sanitation, has replaced 
the dusty drying yards and the tramping of masses of dates into 
braided baskets, which seem to satisfy the most exacting demands of 
the Cairo bazaars. 
The Saidy date of the Libian oases — called " Sewi " in the upper 
Giza country (pi. 2)— is a date splendidly adapted to exporta- 
tion, of much higher quality than the Amri, and when properly 
packed is capable of taking a place in the fancy-fruit markets of the 
world; yet with the demand made by the dense city population of 
Lower Egypt it is all consumed at home, and apparently there has 
not been sufficient inducement to prepare it in a condition that would 
enable it to find its place in the world markets. 
VARIETAL DATE CULTURE IN THE LIBIAN OASES 
The five oases of the Libian Desert (pi. 1), a journey of 4 to 10 
days westward from the Nile but interconnected by very ancient 
routes of travel, have been from very remote times unwilling de- 
pendencies of Egypt. Records as far back as 1447 B. C. show that 
even then Siw r a was famous for its dates and Kharga for its wines, 
both commodities being brought over to the valley in considerable 
quantities. 
With scant manufacturing facilities, the problem, after finding 
bread for the people, was to produce some commodity readily trans- 
ported and readily sold, which they could offer in exchange for the 
necessities and luxuries of the outside world. 
