'Report on the Administration of the Persian Gulf Political Residency and Muscat Political Agency for the year 1877-78.' [‎260r] (65/165)

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AND MUSCAT POLITICAL AGENCY An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. FOR THE YEAR 1877-78.
Appendix B to Part II.
Memorandum on the system of cultivating the date palm in the vicinity of
Bushire, with some information connected with its growth, produce,
price, fyc., fyc., hy Mr. J. C. Edwards, %nd Assistant Resident.
Offshoots which sprout around the foot of the female tree are
procured from Busreh, Kateef or Bahrein, and transplanted to wherever
the cultivator may desire to have a date grove. These offshoots may
be procured of all sizes, hut the smaller ones—say one foot high—are
preferred, as the chances of injury from transplanting are less than to
those of a larger size. After being transplanted they require to be
watered daily for two or three years. The soil in which they are planted
should be soft, and the base of the plant surrounded with manure. The
manure used in these parts "for this purpose is horse-dung mixed with
earth, and allow’ed to decompose for a year before being used.
Where water is very plentiful these offshoots are known to have
sprung up rapidly and borne fruit within four or five years. But where
water is scarce, and the soil hard, ten or twelve years elapse before any^
signs of fruit are visible.
Opinions differ in regard to the rearing of date trees from seed.
Some aver that the trees thus reared never come to perfection; others
that theytdo and bear fruit, but are generally weak and never satisfactory.
It has also been suggested that if the date seed be planted with the fruit
it would germinate sooner and thrive better than if the seed were sown
alone. But all agree that offshoots are the best, inasmuch as they take
less time to grow, and are by far more strong and productive than the
trees reared from seed. These offshoots “ are extremely hardy, and may
remain for eight or ten weeks exposed without injury. Their average
weight is about six pounds.”
The date tree first shows its blossom in February; these sprout
around the heart of the tree in strong covers very much resembling sword
scabbards in shape. They split about March and show a bunch of
blossoms milky white in colour. The cultivator has now to decide what
number of bunches he should leave on the tree, and withdraws the
superabundance. The number of bunch blossoms on each tree varies
from 12 to 24, but it is seldom that more than 12 are allowed to remain
for fruit.
At this period also the cultivator has to impregnate the blossoms of
the female tree hy joining thereto some portion of the blossom of the
male tree. This is done by simply depositing a sprig or two from the
male into a bunch of the female blossom and lightly binding it up with
a sprio-. The male tree is distinguishable by its blossom, which is of a
reddish tinge, while that of the female is milky white. The blossom of
the male tree is only used for impregnating, and does not turn into fruit.
It is averred that in places where the date palm grows thick together,
the wind scatters the pollen of the male blossom, and that the female
trees thus become impregnated with it, saving the cultivator further
trouble on this head.