The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-09-27
DATE-PALM CULTURE,

On0 OK the 1TOmlSlD{s HORTICULTURAL IOS9l"
billttes of California.
The date-palm is the bread-fruit tree
If the Orient, and the staff of life of
;he Arab. It flourishes best in the hot
md rainless regions of tropical Asia
Ind Africa. Its roots, however, need
In abundance of moisture, while its
'ruit, to secure perfect maturity, re-
luires perennial sunshine. at plants
is feet in the waters of the earth and
raises it's head to the fires of heaven"
IS the poetic Arabian description of
these characteristics OF the date-palm.
A grove of majestic date-palms marks
The oasis in every desert in tropical
Asia and Africa.
Illustrating the Importance of the
late as an article of food to the tribes
;nhabiting these tropical oriental re-
gions, history records an instance
when an invading army endeavored to
subjugate the inhabitants of Mesopo-
tamia by destroying all the male trees
IN the region. to prevent the female
trees bearing fruit. Date-palms, it may
De explained, are uni-sexual, and not
ike most other plants, bi-sexual The
intended calamity was averted by the
gathering in due season of the pollen
If the male trees, which, owing to
great vitality, carried the invaded
territory safely through the years that
followed until new growth OF male
plants was propagated. The date also
forms an important article Of oriental
commerce, outranking in that respect
The fig. Like the fig, it is exported
everywhere.
Date culture may be classed among
one of the horticultural possibilities I'M
California. There are many districts
in the State where the meteorological
and climatic conditions are favorable.
Such is the case in the Mojave and
Colorado deserts, and in q large area
IF Tulare and San Joaquin Valleys.
There are also some sections of the
Sacramento Valley where freedom
from rain during the fruiting and
ripening season and the prevalence of
high temperature throughout the sum-
mer and autumn months make date
culture almost certain of success. Irri-
cation canals in all these districts can
furnish the date-palm's roots with all
the moisture they require, and there
is a cloudless sky and an almost tropi-
cal sun overhead to warm the fruit
into perfect maturity.
The cultivation of the date-palm has
been attended with success at the
ranch of J. r. Wolfskill, on Putah creek,
near Winters. Two magnificent date
palms-male and female-stand in
front of that veteran horticulturist's
mansion. An enormous crop of deli
cious fruit has been obtained from these
trees. There is promise of a good
crop this year, the lunches of dates
OF the female tree being we'll formed.
Ii the ripening season is reasonably
free from rain the crop will mature.
One or two showers, it is said, does
no material harm; but rain for two or
three days in succession ruins it. At
Elmira, a point about fifteen miles
nearer San Francisco than Winters,
date-palms have developed fruit, but
have thus far never matured it. Al
Sa ata Barbara there are date-palms
which are said to have matured their
fruit. At San Diego and Los Angelo.
there are date-palms growing tina,
were planted bv the Mission Fathers, but
we believe that they have never borne
fruit. It may be that the trees are no!
properly mated or that they stand too
far apart for fertilization. This is
common occurrence in Arabia, and thu
Arabs overcome it by transferring tn,
pollen by hand, an act which they cal
''marrying the dates.''
These instances of date culture il
California are at present regarded
only among the curiosities of horticul
ture. But they point very clearly to
ward the possibilities of this branch O.
fruit-growing whenever it shall h
undertaken rs a business ventpre
Almost oyery other fprn Of fruit-arow
ing In Galifopnts: has developed lroB
similar besianlnge,-6an F'raneisa
''itllsktn.