Imperial Valley press., 1921-03-15
Ne v D A 7 {
PALM F0 R
IMPERIAL
VALLEY
Offshoots Of Libyan Desert
Brought Here by Federal
Scientists. Famous World
Old Fruit to Be Grown.
Especial to The Press)

WASHINGTON, March 15.-One of
the romances which mark the history
of the fUnited States department of
agriculture's plant, exploration work
has resulted in bringing to this coun-
try $500 date palms offshoots of the
choicest varieties of the Nile Valley
and Libyan Desert.
These offshoots, mainly from the
Sadly, or Wahi, and the Sewi varieties
were shipped from Alexandria to
New York by Prof. S. C. Mason, ar
boriculturist of the bureau of plant
industry, who first discovered their
source in 1918, and are now at the bu-
reau's date garden at Indio, Calf. This
is the headquarters for the date work
in the Salton Basin, comprising the
Coachella valley north of the Salton
Sea and the Imperial Valley south of
the sea, the one reagion in the United
States combining the climatic fea-
lures necessary to the successful cul-
tivation of the choicest old-world var
ieties of dates. -
For nearly 20 years the department
of agriculture has been seeking Off
shoots of a large fine date known to
commerce as the Wahi. These were
regarded as the choicest dates obtained
in Egypt. ranking next to the famous
Daglet Moor of Algeria and Tunis, and
with this difference-that while the
Dagl1t Moor produces few offshoOts
from Which young trees can be grown
the Wahi Is prolific I'M this respect,
producing from 20 to- 80 offshoots in
the lifetime Of a tree f9js2 .fs
Fruit Of this variety had been OBJ
tanned by David G. Fairthild, the de-
partnent's agricultural explorer, on a
visit to the Oasis of Mayum in 1901.
1t was known that the 9Wahi came
from one Of the oases of western
Egypt, but inquiry by Mr.. Fairchild
and three subsequent expensive expe-
ditions failed to solve the problem as
to the source Of the supply. In the
autumn Of 1913 and the following WIN
ter, Professor Mason spent his time in
Egypt and the Sudan making care
full study of the leading date varieties
and the climatic conditions for their
success, covering 1000 miles of the
Nile Valley, from Rosetta to Khar-
toum, and the most important Libyan
GASES, Kharga and Dakhla.
Professor Mason was able to obtain
only 1O8 Sadly offshoots on hi SEX
pedition in 1918, and these, with a
very few obtained from an unknown
origin by H. A. Rankin few years
previously, were the only sources for
the introduction of the variety in the
United States up to the time of the
recent visit.
After purchasing samples of the
fruit, and an Introductory supply of
the offshoots of the Sadly variety
Professor Mason returned to Cairo
where he gave close technical study
of the so-called Sawi variety, the chief
date of Giza province in the Nile bot
tom lands above the Great Pyramids
and covering the site of the ancient
city of Memphis.
This, the favorite packing date OF
this valley district, proved upon close
comparative study to be so nearly like
the Sadly of the Libyan oases that for
commercial purposes both may be
classed as one variety. This knowl-
edge proved of the utmost Importance
in introducing the variety into Ameri-
ca. as it showed the presence of a
large number Of trees OF off-shoot