Imperial Valley press., 1921-07-12
GREAT DATE
SHOW PLAN
FOR |ND|O
IN FALL
Federal Government and L0.
cal Growers Cooperating
to Make First Internation-
al Exhibit Most Note
worthy Affair.

Opening up new vistas to settlers
on the soil in the southland, according
to those in charge, and barking back to
the historic first International Orange
Show in 1886, announcement was made
today that the first international ex-
position Of the date growing industry
twill be held this autumn.
The exposition, with it's picturesque
personnel, will be held at Indio, which
is in the heart Of the date growing
territory of the Southwest, Oct. 21,
%, %, time when this fruit is at the
height of it's perfection.
Exhibits already have been pledged
from the most of the date growing
districts of the United States, thor.
ough representation from the foreign
ers is being sought and the federal
ment-which maintains two date eX
perimental stations in the Coachella
and another in the Imperial Valleys
is lending its cooperation toward the
success of the affair.
Awards in open competition will be
offered for all classes of the fruit and
it is expected that the exposition will
serve the end of standardiZing dates
in their various varieties.
The average Californian. it was
said, has a limited idea of the extent
of dateN culture here or the conditions
surrounding it, and while he is famil
lar with the date palm, he does not
know why it does not bear fruit.
lnsr l1nf Rhn
fact is there are only limited areas
where the date can be grown CONNER
cially-a certain type of soil is re-
quired, with maximum of warm
sunshine and plenty of water. Also
great skill is required in the mating of
trees in the orchards, as well as i'll the
selection Of varieties.
The exposition will be held in dis
trict where there are more than 100
date orchards. Experimentation has
been going on for more than Is years
there and more than 200 varieties have
been tested out. Elimination has been
so practced that the industry is pur-
sued now with only half dozen of
these varieties.
For the new Californian, who has
been growing in his natice state some
crop like wheat, say, along methods
which do not apply here, it is said that
date growing offers a new field IN
which to return to the soil.
The returns from a well developed
date farm are declared to be enormous
in comparison with ordinary crops. In
formation CLEANED has it that an acre
or two of dates-when the trees are of
good variety and produce a good
quality of fruit-means good living.
1t is not an unusual sight to see
several hundred pounds of dates on a
single tree, these bringing the grower
from 15c to 81 q pound, while one
bunch frequently will reach as high as
40 or SO pounds in weight, it was
pointed out.
Further, it was said that very little
work is required to place the fruit on
the market, its sugar content being
so high that it requires no preserva-
tive, and it being cleaned and packed
in boxes which go direct to the con-
sumer.
The American grown date is in
great demand, as the people of the
| United States have been educated to
want fruit grown, packed and shipped
under the most sanitary conditions.
These qualifications are assured in the
date industry here through associa-
tons having for their object the STAN
dardization of the output.
The exposition at Indio will be one
of the most unique ever held for sew
eral reasons. For instance, it will be
necessary to invite automobile visit
ors to bring their own blangets, as
the town is small and the housing ac-
commodations will run largely to tents
Also, with the automobile substituted
for the camel, numerous caravans will
be found trecking over the sands.