Arizona republican., 1898-12-20

person to place fresh dates on the mar ket does not reap such a golden reward as will surprise the doubting Thomases
 and they will wonder why they had not had foresight enough to start the business themselves.
 How shall 1 start a date orchard as easily as you would crop of corn and in the same way? Plant the seed. The seed can be obtained of confectioner5 or you can buy the dates that suit your fancy best and plant them with or without removing the pulp. Two years ago I planted about peck of date seeds. They grew readily, with no more trouble than so much corn, and now they are fine thrifty plants.
 Suppose you wish to plant forty acres Prepare the land as you would fer corn. With a blow open a single furrow every twenty-five feet apart Make the furrow from three to five feet deep. Run water through these fur rows till the soil is well saturated, then drop your date seed, one every three to six inches and cover with blow. leaving the furrows thus made to irrigate through till the young plants are up so you can see the TOW. Then cultivate them as you would corn. The proper time to plant is
 
 seasons growth. You say this is SO simple and easy there must De some mistake about it. There is no mistake about it. The dates growing here are ample proof Would the growing of alfalfa here ever have been established had we waited till somebody imported some of the plants in lead lined boxes and then wait to multiply our plants from suckers of those imported? Hav- ing planted your forty acres and culti- vated your forty acres and cultivated 1t during the growing season there is nothing more to do until the next spring, when the plants should ce thinned to from twelve to eighteen inches apart in the TOW, leaving the thriftiest There is nothing more to do with them this season but to cultivate and irrigate. There is no annual prun- ing and brush burning as with ether trees or vines.
 .The next spring they should be again thinned to from four to five feet apart. The fourth and fifth year they will commence blooming. In common parlance the plants are male and fe- male. One male is required to from ten to fifteen female plants. The only way to distinguish the male from the female plant is by the bloom. Your rows are LWSHLy live I66l dpdTl. He plants should when you have finished thinning them average twenty-five feet apart in the row. As soon as a plant blooms you mark it either to be cut out or left. If you find two male plants standing side by side cut out the poorer. If you find two or more fe- male plants standing side by side leave them all till the fruit has matured and then cut out the poorest, leaving the best one. By thinning out in this manner you get stand of bearing and male trees, and all of them will bear desirable fruit. According to my Ob- servation the seeds produce more fe- male than male plants. It is not nee essary that your plants should all be feet apart in the row. If two are only ten feet apart leave a larger space each side. The roots will find their way to any unoccupied ground. Beside the honor and fancy price for the frui5 that the early planter will get, here is another advan- tage that will accrue to him. When the plants are about seven years old he can commence removing suckers. The