322 Twelfth Annual Report. 



ber and October) could be packed directly from the tree, while 

 those ripening during the cooler and moister weather of late 

 autumn and early winter needed some drying before being packed. 

 One of the principal difficulties encountered was too rapid drying 

 of the dates after being packed, due to the extreme aridity of our 

 atmosphere. It was found necessary to pack them in boxes sur- 

 rounded with parafhne paper and keep them well covered, else 

 they would soon become too dry to be eaten conveniently. The 

 production of a large quantity of dates also furnished plenty of 

 seeds for planting, and experiments were made as to the best 

 time of year for sowing the seed. Judging from present indica- 

 tions, they make the best growth if planted during January or 

 February, but may be planted any time during winter, spring or 

 early summer. The results of some of the above observations 

 and some suggestions regarding date culture were embodied in a 

 " Timely Hint " that was issued during January. 



FIELD CROPS. 



The more abundant supply of irrigating water during the 

 past year has made it possible to grow many field crops that an 

 insufficient supply of water had prevented the growth of, during 

 the past year or two. The testing of varieties of wheat was con- 

 tinued the past year, twelve varieties having been sown last 

 autumn. The wheats grown belong to three classes, — local mill- 

 ing wheats, foreign milling wheats, and macaroni wheats. As 

 heretofore, the Sonora wheat of the region was used as the stand- 

 ard with which to compare the rest as to length of season, yield, 

 etc. Three foreign milling wheats compared very favorably with 

 this variety in all respects. One variety from Japan — Onigiri — 

 ripened with Sonora and gave a slightly heavier yield, and one 

 Australian variety — King's Early — ripened earlier than Sonora and 

 gave a heavier yield. Two other Australian varieties — Early 

 Baart and Allora — ripened earlier than Sonora, but did not give 

 quite as heavy a yield. An American variety — Ruby — ripened a 

 little later than Sonora and gave a heavier yield. Of the maca- 

 roni wheats, the Nicaragua and Perodha gave the heaviest yields, 

 equaling Sonora in this regard. 



