304 Annual Rkport Agricultural Experiment Station 



Royal and Newcastle varieties of apricot each produced a small 

 number of fruit this year. The Wonderful and Papershell varieties 

 of pomegranate produced heavy yields for the age and size of the 

 plants. 



dates 



The date orchards at the Tempe Date Orchard and the Yuma 

 Date Orchard and Horticultural Station have continued in thrifty 

 condition, and during the past season have produced very satisfac- 

 tory crops, furnishing additional evidence of the value of the date 

 as a commercial fruit crop for southern Arizona. The blossoming 

 record of the palms was not high at either orchard, but the most 

 excellent weather that prevailed thruout the harvest made it pos- 

 sible to gather a maximum crop from every tree that bore. Even 

 varieties that during ordinary seasons are almost worthless yielded 

 relatively good returns. Another feature of this year's crop was 

 the almost total absence of fungus spots, wdiich have been a source 

 of serious loss of some varieties in the past, particularly during 

 moist weather. These facts considered in the light of losses sus- 

 tained in the past due to rainy weather point to climate as a most 

 important factor in the harvesting of the date crop. 



Considered from the standpoint of yield, size, quality, and ap- 

 pearance, the varieties that did best at the Tempe Orchard are : 

 Hayany, Tadala, Rhars, and Deglet Noor ; and at the Yuma 

 Orchard : Deglet Noor, Hellawee, and Kaiby. The following is a 

 summary of the yields and returns at the Tempe and Yuma Date 

 Orchards for the past season : 



