REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. XXXVII 



bilitics of date growing in Arizona and southern California. Through 

 agents of the Department a small shipment of date palms was secured 

 from Algeria in 1899, and a large shipment from the same country, 

 mostl}' from the borders of the Sahara Desert, in 1900, and fulh' 90 

 per cent of these are growing vigorousl5^ This year a collection of 

 the choicest varieties in Egypt has been obtained and sent to the 

 Southwest, this importation being in continuation of the plan to 

 obtain from every part of the world where the date palm is grown a 

 complete collection of the choice varieties. 



The date palm is of special value in the hot Southwestern country, 

 since it thrives and fruits best where the summers are long and hot, 

 as in Arizona and California. The establishment of the industry in 

 this section, therefore, would make it possible to utilize much of the 

 land there which, though irrigable, is too alkaline for ordinary crops. 

 It is hoped, now that a large number of plants of the choicest varieties 

 have been imported, that in time this country may produce enough 

 dates to supply the home demand and, perhaps, even some for export. 



CONGRESSIONAL SEED DISTRIBUTION. 



Congress has assigned to this Department the duty of purchasing and 

 distriljuting seeds and plants, and in order that there may be no ques- 

 tion as to how and when this shall be done, the law in regard to it is 

 made very specific. I have endeavored to meet the wishes of Congress 

 in this matter in every way possible, and to the best of my ability have 

 secured seeds of as high character as could be obtained under the con- 

 ditions under which we work. Notwithstanding all precautions, how- 

 ever, the system of securing seeds through a contractor is apt to cause 

 trouble, not so much on account of the likelihood of having inferior 

 seed furnished, as of the contractor's inaljilitj^ to furnish the varieties 

 called for, owing to the quantity required. This was especially the 

 case the past year, and so many complaints were received in regard to 

 this and other points pertaining to the work that 1 ordered a thorough 

 investigation by the Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, in whose 

 charge the entire matter has been placed. No settlement has as yet 

 been made with the contractor for last year's seed, and none will be 

 made until every requirement of the contract has been fulfilled. No 

 matter what the issue, the Department is fully protected on every point. 



Although the amount to be expended for seed for the forthcoming- 

 distribution is double what it was last j^ear, the work has been so sys- 

 tematized that no apprehension is felt as to our ability to send out all 

 seeds on time. As soon as it was known how much would be available 

 for the work, immediate steps were taken to get all the preliminaries 

 arranged, and as a result the schedule, which provides that the distri- 

 bution shall begin December 1 and end March 1, will be carried out to 

 the letter. 



