Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-04-13
The Hazards of the Date
BIZ Frederic j. Hdsktn

| Washington, D. c., April l0.-Out in one Of
the government date gardens in the southwest
there is single hourishng date palm which
would be worth about $4,000 if it were for sale.
| This palm is one of the very few members OF
| its variety in the world which is young enough
to yield the "offshoots" from which new trees can
| be raised 1t is one OF the few survivors OF a
date variety that was practically killed by its
own popularity.
These date palms, known to the Arabs Of
| Algeria as the "Menakher," yield fine big date
! that makes the ordinary little dried fruit that
| you buy for 10 cents pound look like withered
| almond beside fine, big peach. Owing to their
size and fine favor, they make one OF the best
| stuffed dates on the market All these facts
were we'll known to the Arabs who raise dates
| and also to the Arab governors who have flne
taste in the choice varieties 1t was the affection
of the Arab governors for the Menakher that
put these dates out OF business.
When governor knew of an Arab who had
grove of these date palms he would send
around and estimate the crop. If the trees prom
ised to yield 500 pounds, the governor would
intimate to the owner that he would be pleased
to buy 500 pounds of dates. Such an intimation
is equivalent to a commando the grower would
send his dates, and perhaps send bill He may
be sending the bill yet, for the Arab governors
are not particularly prompt in payment. The
custom amounted to confscation OF the crop on
account of its high quality and as result the
growers became discouraged and turned to rails
ing less popular varieties. The Menakher date
palms were allowed to grow old without having
the necessary offshoots to provide young trees
taken from them, until now they are practically
understandable In its experiments in date culture
in the hot southwest, the Department of Agri-
culture secured two of the trees. and hopes to
establish the variety in this country.
The story of the date in the United States is
tale of twenty years of labor and experiment
There were date palms in the country long be-
fore that tme-some Of them planted by the old
Spanish friars in California hundreds of years
ago. but they were simply curiosities with NO
commercial significance. 1t is one thing to. in
raise trees in quantity and quality that will en-
able their fruit to meet its kind in open competi
ton in all the markets of the world.
Behind the appearance OF these high-grade
dates on the market-where they are beginning to
attract attention in the last few years, though
their sale is largely confined to the Pacific coast
as yet-there lies long story. 1t is story that
includes explorations in the Sahara Desert on
camel-back by agents Of the Department of Agri-
culture expeditions TO Egypt and Persia, losses
and failures, years of experiment the invention
trial OF literally hundreds Of varieties of date
palms, and finally the selection and multiplication
of few very highgrade standard varieties that
the department is recommending to the grower
with many precautions. These few varieties that
are fit for commercial culture are among the
finest dates in the world. Besides the rare
Menakher, the government has several other va
reties in much larger quantities, and numerous
private growers and cooperative associations
have learned to produce high,grade palms.
The first date-palms that came to the United
States in the course of this work were shipped in
tubs-a very expensive and not very satisfactory
method. Many of them died. Then Mr.. W. I.
Swingle, who has been in charge of the work for
the department for many years, devised new
method of shipping whcih permitted half dozen
palms to be transported on camel-back and by
ship at small expense with better results In
the early days of the project there was no trouble
in getting offshoots from Africa for planting
They were so cheap that American date-rasers
did not trouble to take offshoots from their own
palms, and they were often carelessy handled
On one occasion many thousands OF valuable
offshoots were set out improperly and most OF
them died. The business was developing unex-
pected difficulties. Then the French government
from whose African territories the palms were
coming, decided that the big American demand
was threatening the industry, and they put an
embargo on date palms. Now we have to pro-
duce all our own offshoots for planting.
The department has met the situation by work
ing out new method of culture by which over
90 per cent of the offshoots take root and flourish
This is a vastly better showing than the Arabs
been one of their chief dependencies for centuries
Here, as elsewhere, the application OF science
beats the methods of tradition to standstill
Little Arab children can distinguish at a glance
the variety OF budding date-sprig, where an
| American scientist has to use microscope, but
the scientist knows what he is about and whittier
he is working, while the Arab plods along in the
footsteps of his fathers.
The net result OF twenty years of exploration,
investigation and experiment is the rise of a
promising new class OF fruit-g growing for the
United States. The Department of Agriculture is
careful to point out that this new industry is still
to be classed as extra-hazardous for all but the
expert. If you plan to 60 into the date business,
they will point out a dozen technical angles
wherein the date differs from any other fruit tree
in America. Moreover, only comparatively few
unattractve regions in the United States fitted
for date raising-Death Valley for instance. But
in spite of all this the date-palm remains and
fourishes in the southwest the source of new
| profits and the symbol of another victory over
the indifference of Nature