168 DATEGROWING 



sensitiveness to frost cannot be reduced to formula, 

 either, since it depends on the variety, and not on the 

 temperature of the region from which it comes. In 

 the United States, two Algerian palms, or two 

 Egyptian palms, or two Arabian palms, standing side 

 by side, will often show entirely different resistance. 



The grower who wishes to pick out a new variety 

 for his plantation, and to do so intelligently, should 

 therefore consider his own needs, and then find a 

 variety to fit them, in the index of varieties which 

 forms Part II of this book. He will need to decide 

 whether he wants an early or a late date, a soft or a 

 dry date, a large or a small date, one of dark or one of 

 lighter color, one that will be best when fresh or one 

 that is pre-eminently a cured date, adapted to shipping 

 long distances and keeping many months. Having 

 decided what he wants, he will not have much 

 difficulty in finding a variety to correspond, from 

 the number of excellent dates which have already 

 been introduced into the United States from the best 

 date-growing regions of the Old World. 



Descriptions of any fruit are always unsatisfac- 

 tory, as they do not present a complete picture to the 

 mind of the reader, but there are a few points in 

 regard to date descriptions which are so misleading 

 that the reader should be put on his guard against 

 them. First is that characteristic "soft and sticky" 

 which is ascribed to many varieties. It is misleading, 

 for it depends entirely on the treatment of the fruit. 

 A date may be soft and sticky, or it may be so firm 

 and clean that it can be handled without soiling white 

 kid gloves, yet it may be the same date, with different 

 treatment in curing, according to the usage it received 

 from different individuals. Most of the Deglet Nurs 



