Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-09-26
DATE PALMS.
Experiments to be Made for Their Culture
in California.

Experiments to be Made for Their Culture
in California.
WASHINGTON, September 25th.-An in
terest in California that amounts to excite
ment among the fruit.growers of the State
the placing of date palms from the Nile
within the boundaries of California and
Arizona, by the pomologicai division of the
Department of Agriculture, has been a
cause sufficient 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 Chief of Division, Professor
81. E. Van Deman and VIM. P. Corsa, who
is nationally known as the father of the
fruit exchange principle, adopted now, in
more or less modified form, in every State
of the Union.
Professor Van Demsn was glad to see the
great interest felt on the Pacific slope in
the very important experiment. If this
effort shall demonstrate the practicability
of growing the best date of commerce
within the United States, about which the
Professor expressed a strong hope and
much confidence, 1t means great deal of
prosperity for such sections as may be
favorably located for such culture-it
means additional freights for our interna-
tional transportation lines, and an addi-
tional development of home industry
Mr.. Van Deman made personal tour of
the Pacific Slope in 1889, inspecting the
fruit of California. As he went he made
careful data, and upon this and the con-
current judgment of a number of the best
fruit-growers in California upon the subject
ne determined to make one trial at Tulare,
another at Pomona, and third at National
City in California, and still others IN the
southern part of Arizona and New Mexico.
Two of these lots are placed in sub-stations
of the California State Experiment Station,
which are properly situated and thoroughly
prepared to give 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 the bal
ance are arranged in groups for other sta
tions. This is made necessary by the
following Eleven varieties of the female
have been secured as those promising the
best results for this experiment. So far as
possible these varieties should be grouped
at several stations 10 determine if one or
more of these varieties is best suited to our
conditions, and how many and which of
these varieties are so suited. With every
female plant there must be set male plant
to secure the pollenizing of flowers, and
there are only six male plants for the
whole country. Then there must be an
abundance of water for the roofs of the
plants and an arid atmosphere for foliage,
or as the Arab say: THE date needs fire at
the head and water at the feet"
These plants are not given away by the
Department. but are, by the Pomologist,
placed in 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 distributed to other
places as fast as suckers are grown-the
conditions being favorable as to climate
and water, and assurance of the parties ac-
cepting the trust that they will give the
care. and perform all the necessary work,
without cost to the Department-and the
undoubted evidence of their ability to do
so have been the especial condition in the
placing of each lot of these plants. H.
deed, the success of the experiment de-
pends so materially upon the exact adjust
ment of those points, that they were set
tied amongst the earliest questions of the
enterprisei
The honor of offering free transportation
on all these plants from New Orleans to
their destination is due to the Southern Pa
cific Railroad, ON behalf of which corpora
ton w. H. Mills telegraphed Mr.. Van De-
man on the 18th of September: "The date
palms shown to the representatives of
California on Wheels will be granted free
transportation over the lines of the South
ern Pacific Company from New Orleans
to Arizona and Southern California" This
was accepted by Mr.. Van Deman and in
structions were sent for the needed care
that the plants should receive en- route.
When first received the plants were
found harboring insects from their habita-
ton on the Nile and in Algeria, but under
the supervision of Professor c. V. Riley
Entomologist of the Department, these in
secs have been destroyed, and the plants
are about ready to be started on their Jour-
ney towards the Pacific.
The above facts concerning the disposi-
ton made OF these plants will be found to
differ materially from what has appe ared
in some of the California papers. The
above may be relied upon as official, and
your correspondent is assured that the
programme will be carried out to the letter.
Any one can see from a glance at the
conditions necessary for success in this up-
dertaking, that nothing less than thorough
mapping out of the enterprise became nee
essary, and Mr.. Van Deman gives the as
surance that the opportunity for success
will not be frittered away by any unwise
scattering of the collection, nor by placing
any colonies of plants or single plants in
locality or section not positively known
to be analogous to their habit in Egypt, for
it must be remembered that this is the first
successful effort to get the Egyptian date
alive and in thrifty condition into this