The Florida agriculturist., 1906-04-18


summer heat to mature the Deglet
Moor date, and other sorts which rip
en- earlier must be planted. Although
date palms are likely to be grown
first on soils too alkaline for other
crOps the culture of the finer sorts
promises to be a most profitable fruit
industry that would warrant planting
on the very best lands and the en-
pfoyment of the most modern hOrt-
cultural methods.
CThe report shows the date palm
area in Texas to be greater than that
of any other state in the UniOn.)
The Country Gentleman publishes
the following:
The Date Palm in ArizOna.-The list
of future agricultural products in the
semi-arid regions of southwestern
Arizona is not complete without men
ton of the date palm. Conditions un-
favorable to other forms of vegetation
are most conducive to the growth of
the date. The consumption of dates in
the United States has been constantly
on the increase, the importations last
year alone amounting to more than
four hundred thousand dollars.
The valley of the Euphrates is said
to be the birthplace of the date palm.
In any event, it is conceded that this
region furnishes the most favorable
conditions for it's successful culture.
In fact, the date is a typical 'child of
the desert Lands unfit for other
cultivation yield abundantly when
used for this purpose.
The fact that the soil and climate
of southwestern Arizona are so nearly
similar to those of the desert regions
of Arabia and Africa led the Bureau
of Plant Industry in the United States
Department of Agriculture to establish
a cooperative date orchard at Tempe,
Arizona, a few years ago. Its CONNER
cial aspect made it important to intro
duce the culture of the date into the
United States if possible, and the eX-
perimental work has been taken up by
the Department of Agriculture with
energy and vigOr. More varieties of
the date palm are gathered together
in this experimental orchard than are
to be found in any other one place in
the world. The orchard is situated
three miles south of Tempe, and about
ten miles from Phoenix, the capital of
the territory. Eleven acres of palms
have been planted, comprising eighty
imported varieties and about eight
hundred trees, all of which are in a
prosperous condition. Shipments have
been received from AlgierS, Egypt,
Arabia and Beluchistan. About sixty
of the trees planted in the last few
years are beginning to bear, and the
yield this year is expected to amount
to about five hundred pounds of fruit.
Other trees will begin bearing every
year hereafter, and this orchard is con-
tidently believed to be the nucleus for
many thousands of acres of land in the
arid regions of Arizona to be converted
to date culture.
One of the most important additions
that have been made to the orchard
is the collection of Persian varieties
presented to the Department of Agri-
culture by Mr.. Barbour LathrOp, of
Chicago. The government has gone
into the experiment of date culture on
large scale. A representative of the
Department of Agriculture has lately
visited the Persian gulf region, and
the data thus secured is proving a
valuable aid to the work. When the
trees at the experiment station are
all bearing, they will doubtless form
the largest date orchard in the world.
In Maricopa county, which is largely
composed of the great Salt River Val
ley, date culture has risen to local
commercial Importance. In this valley,
climatic and soil conditions ro similar.