TEMPERATURE. 



25 



sums are so very much higher than at Tozer that, even when we make 

 a considerable allowance for the probable overestimate, due to the 

 way the observations have been taken at Salton (see p. 24), we can 

 not doubt that the Salton Basin is hot enou<^h for the perfect ripen- 

 ing of all the Tunis varieties of dates. At Gabes, on the coast of 

 Tunis, only second or third rate varieties are grown, and even these 

 often fail to nuiture well, as would be expected from the low sums of 

 temperature (much lower than at Tucson, Ariz.). At Gafsa, also, 

 where the sums of the daily mean and daily maximum temperatures 

 are, respectively, nearly 300 and nearly 500 degrees lower than at 

 Phoenix, none of the first-class varieties can be successfully grown. 



A comparison of the weather of several successive years at Tozer 

 during the six months that are most decisive in the ripening of dates, 

 with statements of the character of the succeeding crops, is presented 

 in the following table: 



Table 4. — Climatic conditions and character of date crop at Tozer, 1901 to 1905. 



Year. 



Sum of Sum of 



means, ' maxima. 



May to May to 



October. October. 



Rainfall, May to 

 October. 



Character of crop. 



1901 



1902 



1903 



1904 



1905 



3,459 



3,899 



3,309 



3,719 



3,565 



5,3a5 



5,922 



5,793 : 



5,622 



5,643 



May 0.87 



June 



July 



August - 



September. 1.07 

 October 84 



2.78 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September. 0.64 

 October.... 1.78 



2.42 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September. 0.9H 

 October 



.TO 



May 



June 



July. 



Aiigust 0.08 



September. .13 

 October 13 



.34 



May 0.17 



June 75 



July .11 



August 



September 



October 40 



Yield not stated. 



Quality lowered by September rains, especially 

 inferior sorts, wnich contained many worms. 



Crop very large, but quality somewhat injured 

 by autumn rains. 



Crop much smaller than in 1904. 



Crop very large and of excellent quality. 



1.43 



Harvest retarded until October 23-26. Dates 

 ripened imperfectly. 



Judging by the data for 1904, the period of the writer's visit, 

 when the crop was admitted on all sides to be an unusually fine 

 one, both as to the quality and quantity of the fruit, it would seem 



92 



