The morning call., 1890-09-26
DATE CULTURE.
Experiments to Be Made in
California.
Bids for New War-ShipS Causing Great
Rivalry Among Builders.
Disappointment Over the Poor Showing
Made by the Baltimore re-FOrti0ca-
tlOn Of Sweet Wines.
Special Dispatches to THE MORNING CALL

CpcClni DlSpdtCNeS 10 IHE MORNING ShLls
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25.-The interest in
California that amounts almost to excite
ment among the fruit-grOwers of the State,
regarding the placing of date palms from
the Nile within the boundaries of California
and Arizona by the Pomological Division of
the Department of Agriculture has been
sufficient cause to prompt the correspondent
of the California Associated Press to visit
the Division of Pomology and learn the
facts in the case. The correspondent was
received by the chief of the division, Pro-
fessor FL. e. Van Deman, and William P.
Corsa, who is nationally known as the
father of the fruit exchange principle, which
is adopted now in more or less modified
form in every State of the Union.
Professor Van Deman was glad to see the
great interest felt on the Pacific Slope in
this very important experiment. If this eff
fort shall demonstrate the practicability Of
growing the best date of commerce within
the United States, about which the professor
expressed strong hope and much conf
dence, it means great prosperity for such Sec
tions as may be selected for such culture it
means additional freights for our interna-
tional transportation lines and the additional
development of home industry.
A PERSONAL INSPECTION.
Mr.. Van Deman made personal tour Of
the Pacific slope in 1888. inspecting the fruit
e ra1 ha IIn 1a nj
data, and, upon this and the concurrent
judgment of number of the best fruit
growers in California, he determined to
make one trial at Tulare, another at
Pomona and a third at National City,
in California. and still others in the
southern part of Arizona and New Mexico.
Two of these lots are to be placed in sub
stations Of the California State Experiment
Station, which are properly situated and
thoroughly prepared to give the plants the
best of care. and will be under the
direct supervision of Professor Hilgard.
Director of the State Experiment Station.
One plant of each variety will be placed at
each Of the several stations, and tie balance
are arranged in groups for other stations.
A CHOICE SELECTION OF PLANTS.
Eleven varieties of female plants have
been secured as promising the best results
for this experiment. So far as possible
these varieties should be grouped at several
stations to determine If one or more OF these
varieties is best suited to the conditions,
and how many and which varieties are so
suited. With every female plant or group
of female plants, there must be set
male plants to secure the polenizing of
flowers, and there are only six male plants
for the whole country. Then there must be
an abundance of water for the roots of the
plants and an arid atmosphere for the fol-
age, or, as the Arabs say, THE date needs
fire at its head and water at its feet"
GREAT CARE NECESSARY.
These plants are not given away by
the division, but are by the Pomologist
placed in the care OF the parties accepting
them under an agreement to carefully and
systematically provide such treatment as
the plants must have to insure success, and
their progeny must be distributed to other
places as fast as the suckers are grown the
conditions being favorable as to cli-
mate and water, and the assurance given
by the parties accepting the trust that they
will give good care and perform all the
necessary work without cost to the depart
ment; and the undoubted evidence of their
ability to do so have been essential In the
placing of each lot of these plants. Indeed,
the success of the experiment depends so
materially upon the exact adjustment of
these points that they were settled among
the earliest questions of the enterprise.
THE RAILROADS OFFER.
The honor of offering free transportation
for all these plants from New Orleans to
their destination is due to the Southern Pa
cife Railroad Company. on behalf of
which corporation w. II. Mills tele-
graphed MIR. Van Deman on the
18th of September as follows: 'The date
palms shown TO the representatives of
California on Wheels" will be granted
free transportation over the lines of the
Southern Pacific from New Orleans to
Arizona and Southern California" This
was accepted by Mr.. Van Deman and instruc-
tions were sent for the needed care that the
plants should receive en- route.
FALSE STATEMENTS.
When first received the plants were found
to he harboring insects from their hahita-
ton on the Nile and in Algeria; but under
the supervision of Professor c. V. Riley,
the entomologist of the department, these
insects have been destroyed, and the plants
are about ready to be started on their jour
ney toward the Pacific. The above facts
concerning the disposition made OF these
plants will be found to differ materially
from what has appeared in some of the
California papers, The above may be
relied upon as official, and your correspond
ent is assured that the programme will be
carried out to the letter. II there has
gone abroad any statement different from
this, the division is not responsible for
it, and can offer no explanation for it. Any
one can see from q glance at the cOndi-
tions which are necessary for the sue
cess of this undertaking, that nothing
less than a thorough mapping out OF
the enterprise would answer, and Mr..
Van Deman gives assurance that the oppOr-
tunity for the success of the experiment will
not be frittered away by an unwise scatter
ing of the collection, nor by placing any
of the colonies of plants or single plants in
localities whose conditions are not positively
known to be analogous to their habit in
Egypt, for 1t must be remembered that this
is the first successful effort to get the Egyp-
tian date alive end in thrifty condition to
this country.
NEW wAR-SHIPS.
There will be at least four de-
termincd competitors in the contest
for chance to build the three great
battle-ships and the swift triple-screw cruiser
for the navy, for which bids are to be opened
October 1st. The cost of these vessels will
aggregate about $4,000, 600, and the condi-
tons of their construction are sufficiently
favorable to induce BIDS from active manu-
facturers. 1t is quite certain that bids will
be received from CramD Of Philadelphia,
Scott of San Francisco, the Bath Iron Works
and the Risdon Iron Works of San Fran
cisco, thus giving two competitors from
each coast. There are indications to show
also that the Columbian Iron Works of Bal
timore will bid. General Hyde, President
OF the Bath Company. Mr.. .Cramp OF the
Philadelphia firm, Mr. Schuyler Of the Ris-
don Works, and Irving NJ. Scott, Manager
Of the Union Iron Works. are all in the city
looking over the field and making figures.
The fiercest fight will be between Scott and
Cramp. neither of whom loves the other
over well. and who are now engaged in bit
ter rivalry in the work already in their
hands. Scott has score to settle on account
Of his defeat several months ago in the con-
tract for cruiser No. q, and it is expected
that he will bid very low to gethis revenge as
well as the contract. 1t is not unlikely that
the vessels will be divided among the bid
ders.
THE BALTIMORE.
The cablegram announcing the departure
OF the cruiser Baltimore from Stockholm fol
this country was a mistake. The ship !:
under orders to proceed to Lisbon and await
further instructions, which it is generally
thought will conine her othe Mediterranean
| squadron throughout the winter.
:. A very surprising story was semi-author-