The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-09-28
Dates i'm Florida.

date and other trOplcal IrulG WHICH
am growing on this island and the Gull
tivation of which must, at no distant
day, constitute Monroe and Dade
counties in this State the tropical
garden spot in the United States.
In 1916, Mr.. L. W. Smith, the
former proprietor of the land which
I now own, planted out a few seed
of the date OF commerce, from which
my grove has sprung. After my
purchase of the place, in 1850, dug
up many of the young trees, leaving
only few for ornament of the
grounds. In 1867 the first crop ap~
peared, each tree producing from
eight to twelve punches, the lunches
weighing from forty to seventy-fve
pounds each the trunks OF the trees
at that time being about fifteen to
eighteen feet from the ground some
at this time are about thirty.fve feet
from the ground, bearing from eigh.
teen TO twenty-five punches, some
producing the red, others the yellow
fruit. The red kind are about the
size of pigeons egg, and when not
fully ripe are very astringent, as
much so as the green persimmon
When fully ripe they are the color of
dark mahogany and luscionsly sweet.
The yellow kind before coming of
full growth, are OF light green col>
or, when full they are of the color of
a ripe orange, and may be eaten,
having nothing OF the astringency of
the red kind and the taste is not I'M
like that of the chestnut. Only few
of either kind lipen at one time OH
the bunch, and from the great height
of the tree, and>the long sharp thorns
OF the branches, render it difficult
and improbable to gather the few
ripe ones, consequently Ifgenerally
cut them in. when they appear to have
their full growth. The yellow date
is not so large fruit as that of the
red or purple.
After the Storm of the..LLStn of last
month, l cut in the trultage of one of
the trees producing the red kind
eighteen punches, weighing from
fifteen to thirty.fve pounds each, the
storm having thrashed off much of
the fruit. Of these / have sent four
lunches N Orch, the heaviest and best
bunch to the Commissioner of Agri>
culture at Washington, have given
away in the city five punches, retain
ing nine on which to try expert
ments; have placed two punches in
a warm room, having split the stems
and inserted salt into the cavity, the
result has been that nearly all the
fruit has fully ripened. The remain.
ing seven lunches have been placed
in warm dry room in another
building kept constantly closed,
about one tenth of the fruit has
ripened ON those, all the rest wilted
and dried up. The fruit which has
ripened on these punches has proved
deliciously sweet for about three
days, after which time they became
sour and unfit for use.
Should we have the good fortune
to escape hurricane this year, 1
propose TO send two buches of the
yellow fruit to the Georgia Exposit.
ion al Atlanta, where our friend Col.
Codrington will doubtless be IN at
tendance, and if by good fortune he
should meet Gen. Loring of this
State at that place (who l have not
the pleasure of knowing otherwise
than by reputation) and can obtain
from that gentleman any information
Oh the subject Of treatment of the
lruit for market and will publish the
same in the AGRICULTURIsT, he will
do tn people Of this section of Flor.
ida great service.