] 10 Bulletin No. 34. 



independent of irrigation and is not injured by alkali. South of 

 Tearpe in the alkali strip a number of handsome palms are to be 

 seen, some of them on ranches which have been abandoned for years 

 and upon which most crop growth has been destroyed by the al- 

 kali. The writer followed a root of one of these trees six feet down 

 into hard pan and 8 inches below the surface of ground water. 2. 

 The Date Palm lives and bears to a great age— for scores and even 

 centuries of years. 3. Conservative estimates indicate that desir- 

 able varieties should yield a very profitable crop— and this upon 

 lands otherwise worthless unless reclaimed by expensive drainage. 

 Although the best varieties are at present only to be had in 

 Eastern countries, certain preparations can be made against the 

 time when good suckers shall be available. The date palm is 

 dioecious, bearing male and female flowers on separate trees. Any 

 orchard must have a suitable proportion of male trees, say one in 

 ten, to fertilize the female blossoms which develop into fruit. It 

 is well to establish these trees in advance of the others in order 

 that abundance of pollen shall be available when it shall be want- 

 ed. These male trees may be raised from seed, no special variety 

 being demanded for fertilization. Every farmer in the warmer 

 parts of Southern Arizona, from San Carlos west and south, will 

 do wisely to plant a handful of date seeds along his ditch banks, 

 where constant moisture will reach them — not next year or the 

 year after, but now. 



Perhaps half the resulting trees will be males, and may be 

 transplanted as desired into the future orchard for the fertilization 

 of first class suckers. A small proportion of the females may 

 produce desirable fruit, and are more likely to do so -if the seed 

 comes from good fruit. The Experiment Station has a quantity 

 of seed from the best varieties of Algerian dates which will be 

 sent, for the purpose named, to those desiring them. 



R. H. Forbes, 



Department of Chemistry. 



SUMMER CULTIVATION. 

 No. 17, June i. 

 Daring this season of scanty water supply it is very import- 

 ant that every possible means of conserving the available water 



