. Bulletin. Agriculture. 44 DATE VARIETIES AND DATE CULTURE IN TUNIS. give the best ; Some of the inhabitants of the Jericl are of the opinion that offshoots developed in unirrigated and salty land make more vigorous palms than those grown in well-tended, fre- quently irrigated gardens. It is possible, at least, that such off- shoots are hardier at the start and are less likely to perish in the early stages of growth. The offshoots are generally of sufficient size to transplant when two or three years old, but they must not be taken up until they are well rooted. The natives say t
. Bulletin. Agriculture. 44 DATE VARIETIES AND DATE CULTURE IN TUNIS. give the best ; Some of the inhabitants of the Jericl are of the opinion that offshoots developed in unirrigated and salty land make more vigorous palms than those grown in well-tended, fre- quently irrigated gardens. It is possible, at least, that such off- shoots are hardier at the start and are less likely to perish in the early stages of growth. The offshoots are generally of sufficient size to transplant when two or three years old, but they must not be taken up until they are well rooted. The natives say they are of the best size for planting when about as large as a camel's head at the base, but while still without a well-formed trunk above ground. One offshoot is generally left attached to each palm when the others are removed, in order to replace it when it dies or be- comes unproductive. Allien this in turn produces offshoots, one of these is retained, and so on. Hence it is not unusual to see trunks belonging to several gener- ations all still attached to the same parent stock. (PI. V, fig. 2.) It must be remembered that a date palm generally ceases to sucker after it is 10 to 15 years old. The price paid for offshoots in the Jerid depends upon the variety, Deglet Noor offshoots selling for from 57 to 75 cents apiece, while those of most other varieties cost onh^ from 19 to 57 cents. Considerable skill is required in detaching the offshoots from the parent stem. First, all l)ut the innermost leaves are cut off near the base, and those that are left are often fastened together with a shred of palm leaf, to prevent their being broken during the operations. Next, a hole of some size is dug around the offshoot with a pick or with the " messah," a short-handled hoe. This tool (fig. 3 and PI. II, fig. 2) is quite unlike the Egyptian " fass," ^ having a much larger, shovel-like blade, with the handle so attached as to be nearly parallel with the blade instead o
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