Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-08
IMPERIAL DATES
EXCEL SAHARA'S
DESERT FRUIT THRlVES IN
HOME SOIL
GROWERS PROVE QUALITY TO BE
SUPERIOR
Four Years Experiment Demonstrates
Palm Product Can BE Raised at
a Profit for American
Market

From the sands of Sahara to the
imperial valley the date palm mas pSeil
successfully transplanted, ana TINS
success, under the most faVoraDle c Il-
matte conditions in the world, mas
grown until dates raised here are now
\ factor in the American market
Furthermore, the dates of the I'M
tnrial valley have reached sueh an
excellent state of maturity in the TOUR
brief wears of their experiment III
southern California as to be superior
in quality to those of Sahara, the nome
of the date palm.
l. w. Jennings is d guest at the
Hollenbeck from Heber, where ne mas
been giving his time to the study OF
date culture. He says that the dates
of the Imperial valley are much su-
nerior in quality to those raised any
where else including the great des-
erts of Africa, where the frult mas
thrived for centuries. Thls starting
Information is based upon actual tests
and conDarisons. i'm part by the gov
eminent and in part by growers WiIO
have planted numerous acres to the
date naIm and demonstrated thaE
tlrere is money in such cultivation.
Jennings says local dates were
placed on the market this year. Ihese
dates were raised in the Imperial VA
lev. There are now planted and pear
ine two orchards at Heber, two at
Indio, the Johnson orchard at mecca
and the government date garden AT
Mecca. The government has long
since tested the American date prop
osition and found it to be glagnlc
success, which will, 1t is fully peneVeI'
terminate in an international triumph
for the orchardists of Southern Cal-
Years Yield Is Large
..yI,ba ,,iaId this wear" saws Jennings,
ranged as an average, from 80 10 loO
mounds to the tree. These dates
brought as high as SO cents a poullu
in the market. Dates grow from .hfee
to four punches to the tree and from
forty to sixty pounds to the bunch
None of the trees now growing IN In"
periaI are over four years old.
Jennings is a director in the imperial
Valley Date Palm and Farming com Re-
many. with headquarters at BraWley:
This company was recently )rga ulZeu
to further the development OF the
American date, together with other
ranch Industries in Imperial.
"This company" says Jennings, mas
purchased a section of land four miles
from Brawley and will plant 100 acres
to dates and 100 acres to eucalyptus
this winter. $500,
.The varieties of dates to be planted
those that have been proved to thrive
Eere-are the ZeHeuy, fdIu' Nhe'ei O. -
RegIet Moor, Cga de Bedeschen, Hal
nusi. Rhars and Birket ed Haggi.
Annually there are imported into the
United States from 100000 TO 100000
worth of dates, mostly from the great
Sahara desert of Africa. Dates rank
second in valuation of all the fruits
imported into the United States.
The time is coming when this great
Expenditure for imported dates will be
turned into the Golfers of the owners
of date groves in the Imperial valley;
Prof Silas c. Mason, who for several
years has had supervision of the gov
eminent experimental date gardens or
Mecca, in speaking of the enormous
importation of dates, says:
1T is a question whether the United
States may not be able to produce this
date crop even in the restricted area
that Is suitable for producing the
dates"