213 



'There are several seedling dates that have originated in the 

 Salt River Valley in Arizona, which promise to be valuable. 



' In addition, there are several other seedling varieties of con- 

 siderable value which have already fruited in central Arizona, 

 some of which may prove adapted to culture on a large scale. 



' Two of the varieties introduced from Egypt by the Department 

 of Agriculture in 1890 have been fruiting for some time at Phoenix, 

 Arizona. In 1900, one of the sorts, the Amreeyah, bore over 300 

 tbs., while another, the Seewah, bore over 200 fts. These dates 

 were packed in h ft. boxes, and Professor A. J. McClatchie writes 

 that they sold readily for 20c. a box wholesale and 2Sc. retail, and 

 there was a demand in the local market for ten times the quantity 

 that could be furnished. The Seewah, in particullar, is a very 

 promising date for culture in the Salt River Valley, in Professor 

 McClatchie's opinion, as it is fairly early and of excellent quality 



' The choicest date that reaches America and Europe, the famous 

 Deglet Noor of the Algerian and Tunisian Sahara, is very sweet, 

 of exquisite flavour, and is adapted to serve as a dessert fruit ; it 

 sells formore than Smyrna figs, being the most expensive dried fruit 

 on our markets. The demand for these dates during the holidays 

 is nevertheless greater than the supply, and if they could be sold 

 somewhat cheaper, the consumption of this fruit would be enor- 

 mous. 



' The Salton Basin or Colorado Desert, in south-eastern Cali- 

 fornia, recently put under irrigation, has a hotter and drier sum- 

 mer climate than the Algerian and Tunisian Sahara, where the 

 best grades of Deglet Noor dates are grown, and is, indeed, better 

 adapted to the culture of this fruit, since not only is the climate 

 more favourable but the soils are richer, and the irrigation water 

 is of better quality. 



'The date palm will prove of equal value on the more alkaline 

 areas of other arid regions in the south-western States where the 

 winters are warm enough to permit it to grow. Most regions do 

 not have sufficient summer heat to mature the Deglet Noor date, 

 and other sorts which ripen earlier must be planted. 



' It is very probable that the culture of the best second-class 

 dates, suitable for employment in confectionery and for household 

 uses, will prove a profitable industry in the Salt River Valley, 

 Arizona, and it is possible that the Deglet Noor variety may mature 

 there.' 



DATE CULTURE IN JAMAICA. 



The following extracts are from the Annual Report (1900-01), 

 of the Director of Public Gardens and Plantations, Jamaica : — 



' Seventy-five date palms were received from Algiers in Novem- 

 ber 1899. They were in tubs, pots, and wicker baskets. To enable 

 them to recover from the effects of their long journey, and to get 

 acclimatized, they were placed in the nursery, looked after there, 

 and gradually exposed to the sun and hardened. 



