"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الجزء II. ج. ج. لوريمر. ١٩١٥" [‎٢‎٣‎٠‎٢] (١٢٦٢/٨١٩)

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who held on to their stocks obtained good prices. Two direct steamers
instead of one as usual, carried dates to America; and a Russian steamer
shipped dates straight for Levant ports, which it had hitherto been the
custom to tranship at Port Said. Part of the export in this year con
sisted of basket dates of the 1900 crop.
The yield of dates in the Baghdad neighbourhood was good and
plentiful; and, though larger quantities than usual were kept in hand
for local consumption, the poorer class falling back on dates in default
of grain, the exportation to Egypt and Syria was considerable, Local
prices ranged from £8 to £9 per Taghar.
1902 cro P in the Basrah district was an average one, but
the season was unsatisfactory to shippers; heavy sales of Halawis and
Khadhrawis had been made in advance in London, and, though Sairs
were abundant, the other two kinds were deficient; growers also
combined to maintain prices. Many exporters lost heavily.
The Baghdad crop of 1902 was not much below the average, but an
embargo on exportation prevented, to a great extent, the usual consign
ments to Egypt and Syria. A quantity of dates for abroad was smug-
gled from Hillah, however, down the river Euphrates.
1903. The Basrah crop of Halawi and Sair dates in 1903 was large and
the quality of both varieties good; but Khadhrawis were scarce and
poor. Local prices, in consequence of a combination among growers,
were high as compared with the low rates at which speculative sales had
been made in London, and shippers who had sold in advance suffered
serious loss; the London market also continued to decline; and eventually
dates became almost unsaleable in England.
The Baghdad crop was fair in quantity but inferior in quality;
there was however a strong demand for Kursi dates in Egypt and Syria
and at Constantinople, and large quantities purchased at £7-10-0 to
£9-10-0 per Taghar were exported.
1904. The Basrah date crop in 1904 was much smaller than tbat of the
previous year; this was due to strong north-west winds which prevailed
almost all the summer and made the dates dry and light. The financial
misfortunes of 1903 had caused many merchants to withdraw from the
date trade ; and again in 1904 few exporters of dates made any profits in
the British market, while a number on the contrary lost heavily through
the prevalence of low rates in America and of relatively high prices at
Basrah. The export to America in this year was about 6,000 tons or the
same as in 1903 ; and about 100 tons were sent by native merchants to
Russia as an experiment, which turned out successfully.
The crop of Zahdi and Kursi dates around Baghdad was fair in
quantity, but the quality was not good. Importation at Levant ports
was forbidden on account of the prevalence of cholera in the Persian Gvlt,
and this circumstance further affected the trade,
1905> Early in the year it was predicted, from climatic conditions, the
state of the river and the appearance of the trees, that the Basrah crop of
1905 would be an unusually large one; but'this expectation was not
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