Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-08-20

tropical agriculture about decade or so ago. He then
travelled through Asia Minor and crossed over into
Africa going down into the Sahara Prior to his visit
to the date regions there seeding date trees had
been grown in California and Arizona and there had
been attempts by the department to import shoots
suckers from the date trees of Africa.
The chief way of starting date grove in the sa-
hara is take up the suckers which sprout out from
Of shipping them to the United States to set them
out in tubs near the trees from which they were
taken and to allow them to grow for one year At
the end of that time the plant in the tub sent to
New York and thence to the west. This method was
costly The steamships did like to handle the tubs
and they charged freight at the rate of ton
tub. The expense almost prohibitive
Mr.. swingle conceived the idea Of sending the
shoots fresh from the tree. He sent to Paris for
bale of special kind of moss and with this after
had been we'll wet he wrapped the ends of the suck
He then tied each up in straw and packed them
in ordinary shoe boxes, which he able to ship at
the regular freight rates. It found that the
shoots arrived in Arizona and California excellent
condition. They transplanted in the date gar
dens there and rapidly grew.
Where Our Date Farms Are.
During his second visit to Algeria, Mr.. swingle
made one shipment of four hundred of these
suckers threeourhs of which became trees and since
then we have had other importations made the same
way Some of the suckers were set out at Tempe,
Arz., not far from Phoenix. Theodore Roosevelt,
while president Toasted dates from those trees and
thousands of pounds were harvested from them this
year Others of the suckers went to California and
some have been sent to an extensive region
is being tested near Laredo, Tex. Not few
imported growing in the Imperial valley of south
ern California. Mr.. Swingle tells me that dates may
be grown in California far north Sacramento but
that the finest varieties will succeed best about Yuma
Arizona, and the southernmost edge of California.
There is no use attempting to grow them where the
temperature falls below 65 Fahrenheit and the hotter
the better. There regions in Nevada where
dates might grow and this is so also in New Mexico
all along the hot Rio Grande river in Texas with
the exception short distance the where
the moist winds from the Gulf of Mexico make the
summer too cool to ripen the fruit
Breeding Fine Dates
is a singular thing that the fruit seems thrive
alkali soil In some of the orchards which
growing the land is salty that weeds will not
spring up it and nothing but desert plants be
grown.
Mr.. Swinge expects that the United States will
day produce dates superior TO any grown.
The Arab have tried perpetuate the old varieties
using the shoots suckers of the date rather
than seedlings for planting groves This has been
the in Persia and elsewhere. 1t is different in
date gardens of the The scientists there
taking the best of the old varieties and breeding
they have hundreds of different kinds and
producing others each year. The trees male and
female, and Uncle Sans match-makers marrying
the best specimens of each variety With idea that
the children that come from the seeds will have the
best qualities of each parent With this in view
Department of Agriculture is sending thousands
seeds and urging the farmers OF those hot arid regions
to date gardens This is comparatively cheap
when the trees from the seeds and the date
orchards, in bearing enormously profitable
The trees begin to fruit in three and the dates
sell at retail from 10 10 so pound, according
10 quality. The average yield of Deglet Moor palm
is put at from IS TO 1872 pounds and estimate of
$3.50 profit per is not out of the way. Even