The Florida agriculturist., 1906-04-18

can be obtained for irrigation.
In New MeXicO.-All of New Mexico
is over $500 feet above the sea level,
and nine tenths of it's area is above
4. 100 feet i'm altitude. In consequence
the winters are almost everywhere too
cold to permit the culture of any but
hardy sorts of the date palm, and the
summer heat is inadequate to ripen
any but the earliest varieties. The
winters are much too cold for the date
palm in the principal irrigated re-
giOns. the valleys of the Rio Grande
and the PecOs rivers, where this plant
would be very useful for planting on
alkali lands. From a study of the
meteorological records, it would seem
that La PaZ, at 1886 feet altitude, in
south central New Mexico, near the
Sacramento Mountains, has the most
promising climate for date culture.
The next. best climatic region is found
i'm the valley of the ella and Rio
Mmbres, i'm the southwestern cor
ner of the territory. Very early
sorts of date palms capable of with
standing much cold are needed for
trial in New Mexico. Such sorts are
most likely to be found in the oases
of Persia, especially in those which
from their high altitude or northern
position have a very cold winter eli
mate.
Life History InvestigatiOns-The
Importance of a detailed study of the
climatic and soil requirements of the
date palm is clearly shown in treating
of the regions in the United States
adapted to its culture, as well as in
the discussion of the heat requirements
and the alkali resistance of this re-
markable plant. No other crop plant
can withstand so much alka1i in the
soil or i'm the irrigation water, and tens
of thousands of acres of alkali lands
i'm the irrigated areas i'm the Southwest
can be reclaimed and put to profit only
by growing dates. This renders it of
the greatest Importance to determine
the extreme geographical limits of the
regions where dates can be produced
with profit i'm order that this invalu-
able plant may be utilized on alkali
lands wherever possible.
Not only is it possible as a result
of life history investigations to indi-
cate with some degree of precision
the regions where dates can be grown,
but also to predict the types of va
rieties which alone can succeed in
each region, and further, to indicate
in which of the date-grOwing countries
of the Old World such types can most
likely be secured For example, in
order to secure hardy late-ripening
sorts able to Withstand the winter
cold i'm Texas and southern Nevada,
search should be made i'm the OaSeS
of central Persia. near the northern
limit of date culture, where the win
ters are so severe that even old, bear
ing palms are sometimes killed, but
where the summers are nevertheless
very hot. The date palm can endure
any degree of heat and any amount of
dryness in the air, and is even favored
by hot winds and by a rainless sum-
mer. The best sorts can mature only
in regions having a very long and very
hot growing season. 1t can endure
more alkali i'm the soil than any other
profitable crop plant and can thrive
on soils containing from 0.5 to 1 per
cent of alkali, even when irrigated
with brackish water containing DAB
per cent. (43O parts per 1O0,00O) or
more of injurious alkali. 1t can with
stand without injury accumulatiOns of
alkali at the surface of the soil that
would kill all other crop plants, even
those considered to be very resistant
to alkali The SaltOn Basin or Col
orodo DpSert in SOuthea storm Cali