Arizona republican., 1910-12-13
POM0L0G|sT VAN DENAN
  Visit Of Father Of Date In dustrg in America
  SPENT YESTERDAY HERE Pleased With Inspection of Plants He Sent to Phoe- nix Twenty Years Ago Future of Date Culture Assured.
SPENT YESTERDAY HERE

H. E.. Van Deman of Washington, D. C.. spent yesterday in Phoenix and will be in Tempe today, being en route home from a trip to the north west where he has been serving as a judge at the big apple shows. It is seldom that Phoenix has a non-resi- dent visitor who has no financial in terests in the valley, who is more pleased to be here and who is licensed to have a more curious interest in developing conditions, and for very particular reason. ><Mr. Van Denhan is a scientific fruit grower, a pomolo- gist of wide experience and an author ity on such things. His activities in the line of investment are now confined to the raising of oceans in Louisiana where he says there is a considerable area of land ideally sit uated for that nut which requires much moisture and low level. AS indicated i,e is intereS:cd ;r fruit culture generally and is regarded as an authority on apples
 The particular interest he has in visiting this region is in connection with the date industry for he may we'll be credited with being the father of the date industry in America. He was for a long time connected with the department of agriculture and in 1885 he originated that branch of the department known as the division of pomology. now a branch of the bureau of plant industry, and for eight years he was chief of the division. During that period, the raising of dates from seed having proved unsatisfactory, MT. Van Deman conceived and executed the idea of importing rooted suckers of date palm trees, ready for trans planting on American soil This he did successfully securing plants from Algeria, Arabia, and Egypt. He st;- cured suckers from bearing trees of known and named varieties, and though some efforts had been made at transplanting before the plants died, and he was the first man to success fully bring them in and make them grow.
 In 1890 he sent few plants to w. J. Murphy of this city, who had them set out at the experiment farm and they are today the big trees that an- nually produce fine crops of fruit and that have been the wonder and admiration of countless visitors. At the same time he sent suckers to Indio, San Diego, Pomona and Tulare. Later plants were sent to Mecca which now has a notable date orchard. The plants at Tulare did not Seem to thrive and were afterward trans planted. Those at Pomona did bet ter but were not all that was hoped. Those at Indio did finely. But the worst blunder or misfortune was in San Diego. The man who planted the suckers through some bad luck lost the property and a successor in ownership decided that he had no use for dates so he dug them up and planted oranges. These plants were of course a complete loss. Had he left them alone and taken care of them it is altogether likely his or chard would today be far more valu able than it is with oranges on it.
 Speaking of the trees at the ex- pertinent farm. and others he saw yesterday MT Van Deman says he was filled with pride and satisfaction at seeing them. Date orchards have since been planted in Tempe and Yuma and many people have a few trees growing. so the industry is be- coming pretty we'll established. Mir. Van Demap says he believes it will some day prove to be one of the great products of this section and one of the most profitable. This he says is the perfect home of the dates. just as good a country as their native land. He expects to see the time when dates from Phoenix will be as common an expression as raisins from Fresno and more money in it for the growers.
 The particular value of the date is that it grows best on an alkaline soil that is good for little else and that for most crops is worthless If dates are planted these worthless acres can in ten years be made worth thou sand dollars an acre. But it is slow growing crop and requires patience and perseverance and care just as any other. until the trees are well estab- lished. Then they live practically forever, or at least a good deal longer than the children of the man who planted them.
 But to make a success of raising dates, says Mir. Van Deman, there should be no hair brained speculative schemes but good intelligent and faithful exploitation by men who can afford to wait some years for the first returns and who are willing to do so. He has heard of a number of date companies being promoted with large capital stock which is sold to investors. Concerning them he would make no comment They may be all right if they are conducted intelli- gently and the investors are willing to wait long enough for their returns But if they are promoted as get rich quick schemes they will probably fail Date culture is not a get rich quick scheme but slow and certain 'get rich sure scheme. if properly handled.
 In planting orchards for the quick est and best returns suckers should