Page 315 - PERSIAN 3 1883_1890

RESIDENCY AND MUSCAT POLITICAL AGENCY POR 1885-86. 19

Dr. Bonavia's return showed that the total number of Arabian date-palms—i.e., the
offshoots and seedlings—alive on the 31st of August 1874 amounted to 5,230 in the various
districts of Oudh. The greatest height which some of these plants had then attained was 9
feet, this being in tho Lucknow garden; and some plants in various districts had fruited*
but for want of pollen tho fruit did not come to maturity.
Copy of tho above papers was sent for information of the Resident, Persian Gulf, as per
Bombay Government Resolution No. 5904, dated 14th October 1874.
In March 1878 a consignment of date offshoots was despatched at the instance of
Colonel Ross by Mr. Robertson, Her Majesty's Consul at Busrah, to Bombay, whence they
wore forwarded to Agra by tho Agents of the British India Steam Navigation Company.
In August 1879, the Honorary Secretary, Agri-Horticultural Society, Madras, requested Colonel
Ross for a supply of date offshoots and any information on the cultivation of the date-palm.
Copy of tho Secretary's letter was eent to Mr. Robertson at Busrah, with a request to 6end
about 50 offshoots direct to Madras; and in reply tho Secretary was informed of the steps
taken, and a memorandum of extracts from previous correspondence on the subject of tho date-
palm cultivation was 6ent to him.
Mr. Robertson, in answer to Colonel Ross's letter, informed him that he himself, as also tho
Agents of the British India Steam Navigation Company, had received similar communications,
and that the latter had replied that they would be glad to supply the Society with as many
offsets as were wanted, and that, therefore, he thought it as well to leave the matter to them,
their facilities for executing the commission being peculiar. Mr. Robertson further added
that if the Resident still wished him to forward the plants he would be most happy to do so.
Copy of this letter was sent by the Resident to the Honorary Secretary, Madras Agri-Horti­
cultural Society, requesting to he informed whether, under tho circumstances, he still wished
date offsets to be sent by Mr. Robertson.
In his reply, dated 14th November 1879, the Honorary Secretary thanked the Resident
for the trouble, and enclosing the Resolution of the Committee of the Society, informed him
that he had asked Messrs. Gray, Mackenzie Sz Co. to collect and forward to him 200 date plants*
The Commissioner, Central Division, India, in his report No. 2400—R., dated 1 st July 1881,
on experimental farms, suggested, as regards experiments in date-growing, that at least 100
well-selected young plants, male and female, should be obtained from Bushire through Colonel
Ros3j and the Government of Bombay, in Resolution No. 4942, dated 27th August 1831,
desired the Political Resident, Persian Gulf, to obtain and send 100 well-selected date plants.
Accordingly Colonel Ross, having requested Captain J. II. Newill, then the Assistant Political
Agent and Consul at Busrah, to obtain the required number of plants and transmit them by
mail steamer to Bombay, wrote as per his No. 97, dated 23rd September 1881, acknowledging
the above Government Resolution and advising despatch of the plants; and enclosed some
memoranda on the subject of date cultivation and transplantation prepared by Mr. J. C.
Edwards, Assistant Resident in 1878 and 1879.
Colonel Ross further sent on the 23rd February 1882 some information furnished by the
Residency Agents in the Persian Gulf, rcgardingtransplantation of offshoots of the date-palm,
to the Bombay Government.
On the 12th May 1884, the Secretary to the Government of the North-Western Provinces
and Cudh wrote, as per his Nos. 369-1—107-7, of 1884, to the Political Resident, Persian Gulf,
saying that the cultivation of the Arabian date-palm had been tried in the Horticultural Gardens
in Oudh, and there were large numbers of date-palms which hod made such favorable
progress in their growth that the experiment was regarded as a success; that as the palms
were then approaching a fruiting age further information was required in regard to their
cultivation, &o., and protection of the fruit from insects; and he enclosed an extract from
Dr. Bonavia's letter dated 16th April 1884, containing certain queries on the subject of
preservation and curing of date fruit, fertilisation and transplantation of young shoots, and
general method of cultivation adopted in the Persian Gulf, and requested to be furnished with
information on the points required.
In his reply, No. 202, dated 1st July 1884, Colonel Ross submitted a memorandum on the
subject prepared by Khan Bahadur, A. R. Hakim, L.M. In acknowledging the above letter,
the Chief Secretary to the Government of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh requested, as
por his No. 882—1-107, dated 4th August 1884, Colonel Ross to convey tho thanks of that
Governmont to Mr. A. R, Hakim for the complete and interesting report furnished by him.
On the 3rd July 1885, the Superintendent of the Mysore Government Botanical Gardens,
Bangalore, wrote to Colonel lloas requesting a small consignment of the best varieties of ths