about the entry on the
kara

Patrick Werr both suggested this entry and provided the citations.

“Here's another citation from the foreign office archives at the Public Record Office in London (I’m not sure if I miscopied the word ‘tons’ or if it was in the original. It almost certainly should be ‘pounds’).

“‘In 1866, locusts destroyed much of the date crop. The total yield was less than 30,000 tons, about half that of ordinary years... One large cara equalled 5,600 tons. One small cara equalled 2,800 tons.’ (FO/195/803A Report on the Trade of Busreh in Turkish Arabia 13/3/1866 to 12/3/1867 p648-52)

“I have dozens of other citations in Arabic and in English, but these are the only ones that gave equivalents.”