Page 481 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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Both fresh and dry varieties of dates arc grown although fresh varieties predominate but
the varieties arc not first-quality varieties as one would find in Iraq or on the Batinah coast.
Khlas, a fresh date, yellow in colour is perhaps the commonest variety. Khanisi and Marsaban
both rotab (fresh) dates are Bahrain’s best quality varieties. Other varieties are Khasahib
Asfur, Bctchcra, Gharra, Aniari, Matmi and Khasba.
European vegetables arc grown from October to May in sufficient quantity to supply all
of Bahrain’s needs for perhaps three months of the year (and leave a small surplus of certain
vegetables for export) and about 60 per cent, of her needs for a further two months. The most
successful and widely grown vegetables are onion, beetroot, and tomato, but it can be said that
all the common English vegetables except peas, beans and potatoes are grown each year :
cabbage, cauliflower, turnip, lettuce, spinach, carrot and radish arc usually available in large
quantities, and leek, celery, khol rabi, and parsley are often available, but are seldom plentiful.
The root vegetables generally are easier to grow and are of better quality in comparison
with the leafy vegetables which either fail to form heart or arc severely damaged by caterpillar
and other insects. However, because of this difference there is a tendency for root vegetables
to be much more plentiful than leafy throughout the (local) season and therefore fetch lower
cash returns, in fact it occasionally happens as it did last winter that beetroot was not worth the
lifting, and the winter before last (1930-1951) the same glut in the local market was apparent,
this time with excessive supplies of turnip and khol rabi. Thus the leafy vegetables are financi­
ally worth the growing if a fair quality can be obtained.
Only a small percentage of the population consume European vegetables. The Europeans
Americans (and perhaps some Indians), totalling between 2,000 and 2,500 are the only con­
sumers : the Arab being interested only in tomatoes and onion, and occasionally a little beet­
root, carrot and radish. (They have their “own” white carrot and also a large whitefieshed
radish, commonly 6 in. to 8 in. length).
The following remarks will serve as a guide as to varieties, time of planting, etc., of Euro­
pean vegetables.
ONION : Local seed excellent : import fresh every third year. Easily grown. Plant late October or early
November ; requires little manure—only vegetable grown locally which benefits from wood ash. Trans­
plant January or according to growth. Expect harvest late June or early July. No diseases or pests of
mention. Storage impossible.
BEETROOT : Seed import annually : globe varieties. Plant October, November or early December, not in
shade. Heavy manuring. Thin out. Benefits from more frequent irrigations than common. Expect
harvest after three months. Caterpillar generally presents pest problem particularly before plants have
become thoroughly established, otherwise easily grown.
TOMATO : Local seed fairly good. American varieties cheap and excellent. Plant November to January,
and transplant from shade to sun. Rich manuring. Only vegetable exported in fairly large quantities.
Quality often very poor, in most cases due to common practice of allowing plants to grow without support
of any kind. Many flowers remain unfertilised, but yields nevertheless are good. Always easily grown.
Harvest—end February, March and caily April. No pests or diseases worthy of mention.
TURNIP : Small whitefieshed varieties. Import seed annually. Heavy seeding necessary. Plant October
or early November. Heavy manuring. Expect harvest after three to four months. Malformation not
uncommon. Tendency to lift later than “ripe" stage.
CARROT : Import seed annually : any long-rooted variety. Plant October, preferably in sun. No diseases
or pests worthy of mention. Sometimes very, very slow growing, but harvest normally late : December
or January.
LETTUCE : Local seed fair : import seed bi-annually or annually. Plant late October in shade and trans­
plant to shade in well cleaned and manured beds. Frequent shallow irrigations. Cos varieties usually
form better hearts. Sometimes difficult to establish. Avoid beds infested with ant holes.
CABBAGE : Import seed annually. Plant mid-October in shade and transplant to sun. Caterpillar (various)
can ruin crop at practically any stage of growth. Heavy manuring. Tendency to wait too long for heart
to form and lift at “over-ripe” stage, when leaves have become hard and dry. Not always a successful
crop.
CAULIFLOWER : Local seed usually good : import bi-annually.. Plant mid-October in shade and trans-
plant to sun. Heavy manuring. Always excessive amount of leaf and stalk. A good head might only be
5 in. across : 3 in. and 4 in. heads quite common. Often poor flavour. Caterpillar can ruin crop at
practically any stage of growth. Not always an easy crop, but in most years (last winter proved most
unfavourable and about 80 per cent, of the crop was hardly fit to lift) a fairly good crop can be expected.
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SPINACH : Import seed annually, Easily grown and quality good. Plant late October in sun. Heavy
manuring not necessary.