The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1924-05-20
A HeIIish. Hopeless Desert, a Sec,
ond Death Valley, Is Rich Date
Garden. Millions Are Invested
In Growing This Fruit.

The hottest spot in the United States
is at the same time the most unique
The hottest and driest agriculturally
it IS part of the desert of the great
southwest yet the harvesting and the
marketing OF this years crop from the
date palm gardens that convert this
arid region into a huge oasis have
brought to commercial security a new
American industry They have likewise
marked another step forward toward
the adjustment of one Of our frontier
sections and point to its rivalry of the
Old World in at least two particulars,
writes Mary T. Walter in the Dear
born Independent
Round 1870 B. c., when the great
Hall OF Karnak was built, the date in
dustry fiourished in the Nile valley.
Dates were doubtless known to the
Queen of Sheba when she made her
memorable visit to King Solomon.
Yet in little more than twenty years
the date industry OF America has gone
far in some respects toward Outdoing
that of the Orient; this because it is
the offspring of intelligence, magma
ton and vision. The farmers who are
"bucking the desert" are largely col
lege-bred men, possessed of the rare
spirit that typihes western pioneers
they are New Era farmers. Moreover
they are most significant Of all, help
ing to demonstrate what is possible to
the growth of an infant agricultural
industry when it is taken in hand from
the start and fostered through all its
adolescence by the United States gov
eminent.
A generation ago the grandfather
OF the writer crossed a part OF this
desert with a band of sheep, leaving
many of them dead on the tree-less,
water-less, sun-baked waste, and sent
back word that characterizes the old
time" farmer even today, hellish,
hopeless desert"
Cimatological data of the United
States weather bureau show that
Coachella Valley; the principal date
area, which is geographically the up
per exttnsion of Imperial valley, al
most rivals Death Valley in conditions
of temperature and dryness.
1t was not till, 1900, after initial et-
fort, that the United States department
of agriculture made its first large inn
portation of date palms that lived,
when DR.. Walter T. Swingle, of the
office of crop physiology and breeding
investigations, bureau of plarV indus
try United States Department OF Ag
riculture, had learned through expert
fence in Old World date regions, how
to pack young palms for shipment and
to ship them in bulk. In all dozen
expeditions to the Old World were
sent by the government, resulting IN
an excellent collection OF all good va
rieties from the best date regions OF
the Orient which were tried out IN
experiment stations established and
still maintained in Arizona and at
Mecca and Indio. in Coachella Valley
California.
Roughly, 200 varieties were import
ed; some five per cent OF these have
proved satisfactory for American cul-
ture and less than two per cent adapt
ed to commercial development here.
Later. before the world war, the
government imported 10000 young
palms of the Deglet Moor variety,
which. besides costing the co-opera-
tive growers $4,000, cost the govern
ment $4,000 more to disintect and
care for till they were ready to be
n1anted in orchard form. After the
armistice came an importation OF ~
600 more of two varieties. winch two
CORPORATIONS contracted with the gov
ernment to keep in cooperative quar-
antine nurseries and later distribute on
shoots at a minimum cost. "A NUMBER
of Khadrawi palms, a Persian variety
were imported privately
Figures on paper-booster talk TOO
often imputed to justify
the statement that an acre OF dates IS
the most paying agricultural venture
in America. A palm of good variety
saw the enthusiasts, given proper at
tention, Yields at full maturity lzo to
200 pounds with maximum OF num-
her ones Fifty palms should pro
duce 1000 to 10000 pounds. At as low
as twenty cents the pound the net IS
not small and many dates bring vastly
more than that. Besides, ten to TWEEN
tv-fve ofshoots of each palm are
worth while, either for sale or eXpan-
sion of acreage Some date champions
estimate that the best grade OF dates
car be made to pay $1,000 year an
acre. or ten per cent on $4,000.
That palms continue fruiting for
century at least confirms the state
ment that an acre OF full-bearing dates
should be worth $4,000. Moreover
even the pessim;stic agree that dates
are not set up for show, as real es-
tate lure because the government is
back OF the planting.
But
Nobody concerned denies that date
raising is not a poor mans PROPOSE
ton. Neither, according to DIR. Swim
gle. is it a rich mans proposition.
The cost of establishing a proht-
yielding date acreage is stupendous in
comparison with other California
crops While twenty acres in full bear
ing should carry, at the lowest figure,