[Cir. 1'2<)— A] 



THE PRESENT STATUS OF DATE CULTURE IN THE SOUTH- 

 WESTERN STATES/ 



By Walter T. Swingle, Physiologist in Charge of Crop Physiology and Breeding 



Investigations. 



It has been demonstrated by the work of the Department of Agri- 

 cidture and the numerous date growers cooperatmg with it that the 

 growing of standard varieties of chxtes, such as the Deglet Noor, by 

 resident farmers in hot, dry, irrigated valleys is a very promismg 

 new line of fruit culture. 



The satisfactory outcome of the experiments of the Bureau of 

 Plant Industr}^ in estabhshing the commercial culture of the date 

 palm m the Coachella and Imperial Valleys has aroused much inter- 

 est in date growing on a commercial scale. Wliile the new industry 

 has a very promising future if kept on a reasonable basis, unwar- 

 ranted claims, such as are now bemg made by parties in some specu- 

 lative enterprises, are bound to lead to great disappointment on the 

 part of uninformed purchasers and are hkely to jeopardize the future 

 of the date industry and to hinder seriously the proper development 

 of those regions best adapted to date culture. 



It should be clearly borne in mmd that date culture is a new 

 industry, requiring experience and unusual skiU on the part of the 

 grower, and that it must be carried out in regions having an ex- 

 tremely hot summer climate — two causes which greatly increase the 

 expense and risk of date culture to nonresident owners and corpora- 

 tions. The profits of date culture are ahnost impossible to estunate 

 m advance, and the claims made on this point in many instances 

 have been unintentionally exaggerated, especially since date culture 

 as it now exists is supplemental to other types of farming. Further 

 development and better organization of the date industry, both in 

 regard to growuig and to marketing, are needed before dates can 

 safely be grown as the only crop. Any calculation as to the prob- 

 able profits of date culture is of very Httle value, since this industry 

 is new, httle understood, and demands unusual knowledge and skill 

 on the part of the grower. 



It often happens that one of two adjoinmg orange orchards yields 

 a very handsome profit even on land having a very high valuation, 



1 Issued June 7, 1913. 

 LCir. 129] 3 



