Arizona republican., 1911-12-17

Culture Would do for Arizona" has heen written especially for the Re publican by Dr. A. F.. NinsOn of tha Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station. Dr. Vinson has been en- gagged in the study of the date un-
 der Salt River Valley conditions for
 over six years and has developed several methods for artificially ripen- ing the fruit. Last spring he made aI extended tour for study and ob- SerVation among the date cases of the northern sahara (Africa) and has recently had the pleasure of bearing his message personally through the | Farmers Institute to many of our
 farmers in both Salt River Valley and
 the Buckeye District Any questions i bearing on any phase of the estab- lIshment of this important industry ' u Arizona will be gladly received and answered by pr. Vinson or the Agricultural Experiment Station. | Tucson. Arizona.
 What Date Palm Culture Would do for Arizona
 | There are many reasons why cN- | tensive planting of the right varieties of date palms would increase mater | tally the future prosperity of southern | Arizona Perhaps the most cogent
 of all will at first thought appear the most trivial, but yet there is reason to believe that their beauty alone would repay many times tho effort of establishing numerous date cases in this already attractive coun- try. There is a majestic splendoT about date oases that one must See 1 to realize, and we need only to note the increasing tourist trade to the cases of the northern Sahara to see that the profits from this source soon will equal or surpass the value of their products. The once squalid native town of old Biskra in south
 ern Algeria has been replaced by a
 prosperous modern city under the
 stimulus of this tourist trade. and
 can boast half dozen hotels the
 equal of any in Arizona. With the
 advent of the new railroad. the
 charming oases of Tozeur and Nefta
 ir southern Tunis are expecting
 somewhat similar growth. No one
 is going to cross the continent to see
 our alfalfa fields and rows of cotton
 woods no matter how luXuriant they
 may be. but add date oases to the
 quaint attractiveness of our giant
 cactus and mistletoe covered mes
 quite. and none can resist trying at
 least a winters soiourn beneath our
 Cloudless skies. The tourist, in num-
 bers such as now flock to northern
 frf. all
 be found to enhance the value of the products of our fields and orchards by affording an adequate home mar ket The appeal of attractive post CTS showing Arizona scenes dotted with towering palms crowned with fern-like leaves would prove as ire sistable as similar posters of Saharan scenery have proven in Paris Swift zerland as We know owes it's pros perity in part to it's beauty. and why should not Arizona?
 But aside from the prosperity the beauty of date oases would insure us. the fruits of suitable varieties would unqucstiOnabiy yield large yearly revenues. and that with a minimum of labor They should be employed freely to reclaim our alkali lands. since they tolerate more alllali than almost any other useful plant. Many of the cOttOnwOods along ditch banks should be replaced by date palms and new planting made where waste land with sufficient water is found. The date moreover. may be irrigated with water that is unsuit able for other crops, such as the al- kaline seepagc from higher lying cul- tivated lands.
 Finally, the date palm affords a mel low shade, well adapted for the growth of other crops. and its deep, neshy roots interfere very little with other cultural operations. Beneath the towering crests of the palm. oranges. olives and vegetables form a ccngenial community where the soil is not excessively alkaline. Even alfalfa may be grown between the palms, but until the trunks have at leaves interfere with cultivation.
 The commercial success of future date culture in most localities in Ari- zona depends almost solely on the selection of suitable varieties. Some will lead to prosperity while others will lead as certainly to failure, and it is to the selection of varieties per fectly adapted to our conditions of climate and market that our most serious attention should be directed. ones first impulse is to select the