The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-08-21
A NEW INDUSTRY
The Raising Of Dates Rapidly
Growing in the United
States

SthttS
Washington, Aug. is.-Ths United Eta.
tes mail are sometimes used for curious
purposes. A number OF years ago sew
eral wagons drove up to the postontice at
Washington. d. c.. and deposited a num-
Der Of large tubs containing handsome
palms Having delivered themselves OF
their freight the wagons drove on The
postoffico went out TO sec what the per
formanoe meant. and found TO their sur
prise that these palms were to be sent
through the mails. The local superintend-
ent at first said that the office would not
send them. 1t was prepos,erous he main
,alned 70 mail such things. Each tub full
OF moist earth and god sized palm. was
at much as two men could handle and
on cscount Of the foliage they could not
be packed to any advantage Neverths
less, there were the tags on<he tubs.
containing the "frank" or the department
Of agriculture and the proper addrssses-
Las Cruces New Mexico. and the only
thing for the Washington postoffice of
ciala to do was to mail them e.. this was
done. although It necessitated srecial ar
rangements to care Tor and water the
palms Thus PRACTICAL commenced date
growing In the United States
SECRETARY INVESTIGATES
OF these trees about forty are now liv-
ing and thriving. Fifteen OF them hav-
Ing blossomed. Only seven of these how
ever, are pistllate or fruit bearing
trees Since this first attempt at Amerl-
can date culture, the agricultural DEPART
men1 has followed up the question. and
Secretary Wilson during the past year
has had an expert In Algeria. Mr.
Swingle, making a thorough study OF
this study and sending home plants
The secretary proposes perhaps to spend
$4,000 during the next two years. Of the
money allotted TO him by congress for the
Introduction of useful foreign plants
The dates NV being secured Iu Algeria
and Morocco are OF the very fines.
kind and are shipped in tubs. the same
as was done In the original importa-
ton Secretary Wilson states Il as his
belief that another American industry
viii result from this experiment as ne
believes that dates viii thrive as well IN
Arizona as in Arabia.
The region IN which the date palm
reaches perfection are characterized bv
deficiency OF rain and "a wide variation
of temperature. The summer heat Is in
tense, 1l5 degrees or more, though iu
winter the temperature may fan as low
as 16 degrees above zero. Although the
date palm requires Intense heat n sum-
mer, II Will withstand m winter a tenn
perature that would be fatal 10 the fig
or the orange. These chmaucal condi-
tions are practically identical with those
that obtain In the more southern pot-
tions OF the great Colorado desert so
great Is the similarity. In fact. Mr. VII
son says, that so far as climate 8 con-
cerned, we may reasonably expect the
date palm to fruit satisfactorily the
arid regions OF the southwest rhe cX-
periments carried 'on through tho de-
partment show Lha; Tclbah'y the au
best adapted TO the date palm IS one on
tanning a small per cent OF clay, fairly
free from humus, ana charged with al
kali. Irrigation and heat are all import
ant conditions. Water is Indispensable.
The roots should be moist at all times.
An old Arabian proverb says that. THE
date must have its head in the lre and
its head in the water"
The water used may advantageously
be quite warm and contain considerable
alkal Dates NAV however. be planted
along streams, or by springs or by iicod
basins. and in sucn sltuations will grow
well, adding much TO the landscape by
their graceful plnnate foliage The fu-
tur' Of the date industry I'm the United
STATES, however, depends upon irrigation.
and upon irrigation win not fail in tho
dycst season. Irrigation IN the Sahara
has greatly increased the date areas OF
Africa and the conditions are so slrli-
lar I'm our own southwest under artin-
clal watering that the success OF the In
dustry there seems assured.
NUMEROUS VARIETIES.
Varieties OF dates are almost innGmer-
able. They differ greatly in their coior.
size. sweetness, delicacy OF flavor ana
length OF time required 20 mature The
dates Of commerce are usually light coll
ored these being better shippers The
male and female flowers OF the palms
are borne on different plants. the females
only bearing the fruit. The blossoming
period g. a long one. usually about six
weeks. but it Is always late. thus escap-
ing spring fg0sts. The average yield OF G
tree Is eight burches, each Weighing
about II pounds. IN Arizona under irr4-
cation, Seeding trees. seven years old.
have produced upward Of 200 pounds in
"a single season.