The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-09-04


sought after in Europe, and might be-
come the object of an important com
merce. In preserving them the cpl
dermis is removed, and the two enos
cut off; the stone is taken out by
means of small piece of wood, and
fruit thus preserved is boiled IN wa
ter to soften and separate an astring-
ent principle; they are then placed
in a bucket to drain, after which they
are put in glazed pot. There Is
then added some hot concentrated
sugar, in which they are lett for SIX
hours. At the end Of that time
the syrup having lost its consistency
by reason of its having been mixed
with the water contained in the
dates, is put on the fire and concen-
trated as before. Some more dates
are then added, in which parched al
monds have been placed, or some PTS
tachios instead of the stones, in order
to keep. them from getting out OF
shape. 1t is then boiled again until
the syrup becomes more solid, and
afterward is put into earthenware
pots. When cool little pulverized
sugar isnpregnated with essence OF
lemon, is added to flavor it.
The principal revenue in Tunis is
derived from their excellent dates
which are exported in large quanti-
ties. According to a recent enumer-
alton there were SS6,554 date trees
in Djerid, one of the most important
provinces Of the Regency, which are
taxed by the government. AS the
young trees are not included, and
there are grounds for believing the
calculations made to be incorrect, 1T
is presumed that the total number
does not fall much short of 2,OO0,0 900,
which produce 100000 cwts. of dates,
valued in the locality at 467 ,OO0I
The ordinary kinds Of dates are made
into paste or cake, which forms the
staple food of the Bedouin Arabs III
the Sahara. 1t is highly nutritious.
| The dates are sometimes eaten fried
in butter, OF simply with fresh butter
uncooked. In former times the chief
market Tor dates was Touzer, to
which the merchants from Ethiopia
resorted with slaves, whom they ex-
changed for a very few hundred
weights of dates, but the traffic has
now ceased. There were exported
from Tunis in 1873 dates valued at
13,O36l. in 1874, 1851 From Tun-
is in 1871, 81, 900 cwt. Of dates were
shipped direct, but owing to the
heavy export duty levied upon them
good many are smuggled over the
Algerian frontier. The duty is
from two to ten piastres per cwt. ac-
cording to quality, those of Dogla
paying the highest rate. From Mo
rocco about 1000 ewt. are sent TO the
London market.
Bagdad sends away 1900 to 1000
tons of dates yearly. The date
groves of Bossorah are OF great ex
tent and value, forming an almost I'M
broken line from one to three miles
in depth along both banks Of the Eu-
pirates and Shet-el-Arab, from Med
inhab to the sea--that is for more
than no miles-and yield annually
from 10000 to 10000 tons Of dates
| in a good season. In 1859 the pro-
duce was but $4,000 tons in 1870
rather less Owing to succession
Of cold north westerly winds, which
prevailed during the Spring and ear
" Summer, while the date palms
were still in flower, much of the fruit
failed to arrive at maturity, and the
crop gathered in The Autumn was
! both poor and bad. In ordinary
- 90 0n0 1900 q 80 ,,,.a t7oo1