'35/149 I (A 67) Batineh date trade. Dowson's reports' [‎28r] (61/164)

suimner# TJfie nigh relative hiimidity combined witn tne nigh /->;
temperature make the climate of masicat, in the summer,
exceptionally unpleasant♦ The unpleasantness is a^ravated by
tne high night temperatures, to wnich the influence of the bare,
rocicy nilis, almost encircling the town, contntutes#
PLATES II AND III. MasJcat from the iSast»
Sometimes, In the twenty-four hour period, there is a
difference of only two or three degrees between the maximum and
minimum temperatures* If the name of tne country of Iraq really
be derived from aSLA (^ A — "he sweated", tnen jsoafekat might weil be
renamed Irraq, from a RKAC ^ A . — tt he sweated greatly^" Outside jyiaskat
tne climate is less trying in summer, though the air is always
damp along tne coast* Inland, the air is dryer and less
enervating* I'he climate of the Gabal Akhdhar is such that, while
vines and pomegranites grow to perfection, yet it is too cold
for date palms* Yhese mountains are within fifty miles of the
coast* It is said that Maskat may be cold in winter with a
biting wind*
It is interesting, in view of tne present discussion as
to tne suitability or otnerwise of tne climate of the Imperial
Valley in California for the growth of date palms, that the
great humidity of the air of the Batanah in no way interferes
with the proper ripening of the date crop there* flEf the Batanah
be as damp as Maskat, and there is no reason to suppose it any
less so, the average humidity for the month of August rises to
80/£* The trouble witn the Imperial Valley as a date growing
district is, therefore, not one of excessive numidity* rrobably,
there, the limiting factor is the cold night tiamp.erature, or the
cold night temperature combined with a high humidity*
imring all tne time of the visit, the visibility was low
on the coast, and less so inland. Clouds were seen most days,
and mist was common in tne mornlggs* On the afternoon of the
9th of wune, a cloud no bigger than man's hand appeared in the
western aky* jsy sunset, half the sky was covered with red clouds.
At dawn, the following day, tne cloud had crept down the mountains
as a thick, wnite, wet mist, and nad envelpped ixhallah, where
it was not possible to see a hundred feet*
ifrom the above table, it will be seen that most of the
rain falls in winter* One-fifth of an inch, however, falls in
the period, June to August* isormally, tnis rainfall does no
damage; but, if it be excessive, it may ruin the date crop*
This occurred in 1874 and in 1878, and in other years* Some
years, there is no rainfall* For the past nine years, Mafckat and
Uman have been suffering from a drought, MAHAL, with tne accent
on tne first syllable* Many springs have dimiaished their output;
or have dried up; and large numbers of date palms have died*
There has been much distrftesj the price of corn has risen
greatly; and there has been emigration to Zanzibar and otner
places*
The following tahle shows the temperatures and barometric
readings noted at the places visited*
Date
Time
bhade Bar*
Place Temp, in
jrah* Jfeet.
rtemarks
3*6*27
12.40
14.33
16.03
16.27
6.15
11.IS
16.30
16.47
22.49
5.14
6.33
22.49
Matrah
do*
do*
do.
inaskat
do.
do*
do*
do.
do.
do.
tfhallah
97
97
95
94
89 1320
94 1330
93 1400
92 1400
92 1380
89 1380
91 1370
88 1585
Room overlooking sea
do.
do.
do.
Ronm not overlooking sea
do*
do.
do*
do*
do*
do*
On sand dune