‘Report on the administration of the Persian Gulf Political Agency and Muscat Political Agency for the year 1883-84.’ [‎52v] (44/166)

4 2 ADMINISTEATION EEPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. POLITICAL
• "— " 7 ~ far lovinff flies and insects does not seem to be suffi-
The agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. of winds and var10 ^ ^ such cases the fruit yielded is stated to become
cient to effect f' 6 ; e " wit ' hou t stone, and totally insipid, and is termed " Shis."
abortive or blighted, witl nsi ' dered essent i a l for a fruitful impregnation.
Consequent y uman agen ^ ^ atte i n ed its full size and maturity, which is known to
The male spatlie, as soon £ a - nt rus tling sound, elicited when the
the cultivator by certain signs an m 1< ^ lons ^ ^ seminal odour, detected by making a
central part of the spathe is gen ly as to expose the flower, which is cut
slight indentation in the marginal part of the spathe, so as exp
at its root and taken down. , . j n ^ ,■
The enclosing spathe is slit open and the flower-sprigs are gently detached from the spadix,
and ^refuHy pre^rved in a basket, which is suspended in a spot protected from drafts of wind;
the sprigs are allowed to dry for 20 to 24 hours before being used.
LLn as the female flowers have split ope.
the cultivator considers it time ^ ^ ^ one or tw0 in each bunch of the female blossom,
flower-twigs of the ma e pa , 1 lea£ I£ the cu Iti V ator finds that some of the larger
lightly binding it up wi i a ^ ^ trouble of rec i imbing) he slits them opcu and deposits
Xtwer"pri™s iltte Uossom, as before. Only very small ones he leaves untouched, to be
attend^ to if "necessary, subsequently, when they have attained maturity. But, as a mle.he
does n t allow all the Hower -spathes, which vary from 12 to 24, to remain on the palm and form
fruTt because bv doing so the fruit becomes small and degouerate, and during the next year the
yMd of the fruit is lessened. According to the vigour of the palm, which he knows by es-
periencc, he leaves 8 to 12 bunches to form frnit. The excess is removed and consumed by
his people and friends. The sprigs of the male flower are preserved in a dry form one or .wo
months and used as ocoasion demands. They are, however, before being used slightly moistened
with water to prevent the pollen from being scattered and blown away by the wind.
It is stated that sometimes, when the male flower is not in sufficient quantity at Kharg,
the cultivators import it from Busrah. Pollen of one year cannot, it is stated, be preserved for
use during the next year, as it becomes spoiled. W hen the female blossom has thus been
treated with pollen, the supply of water is cut off for a time, varying from one and a half to
two months, as excess of water is said to be detrimental to a proper fertilisation.
The general method adopted for cultivating the date palm in these paits, where it is grown
for economic and commercial purposes, is that it is planted in extensive groves for facilities of
tending them and collecting the fruit. Spots are selected where abundance of water is avail
able in shape of river, spring, cc kanat/ J or well water ; in other places, where water from
wells is scanty, such spots are selected as can be irrigated by rain-torrents during the rainy
season.
A plot of ground is selected according to the number of palms which it is intended to
plant in a grove, which may consist of 80 to 150 or 200 palms, planted in regular rows, with
a distance of 12 to 15 feet between them. The grove is surrounded by a high "bund^ for
purposes of admitting and retaining water in the grove, and generally regulating its irrigation,
being provided with inlets and outlets to admit and get rid of excess of water, especially that
from rain-torrents. ^
For the first two or three months, after the offshoots have been planted^they are watered,
each separately, by water carried to them in pots ; great care is taken that no mud gets into the
heart or crown of the young plant, as it proves destructive to it. After the plants have struck
root they are watered once a week, a fortnight, or a longer interval is allowed to elapse, but
it is essential that they must be well watered once a month. When they have grown up
and have attained some age, they are watered once a month during the hot months only. At
Busrah, where water is abundant from the river, deep and wide trenches are dug between the
rows of the palms, and filled with water. But where water is scanty it is allowed to run down
in small channels to the foot of each palm, the ground being previously well dug up, loosened,
and turned over to allow of its thorough saturation.
Vegetables, lucerne, &c., are grown, as at Bahrain, in these groves, such a cultivation being
considered highly beneficial in improving the soil. With this object also the soil is ploughed
and turned over once a year to render it soft, porous, and permeable to air moisture.
In places which border the sea, fins of Awal or Lookhm, a species of Ray-fish, are used
for purposes of manuring the palm; two or three bits are buried at the foot of each palm, and
it is regularly watered once or twice a week until the whole is absorbed and disappears j or