182 DATEGROWING 



the palms. In the end this will be counterbalanced 

 by the fact that the life of a date plantation is far 

 longer than that of a lemon grove, and the loss of 

 five per cent to ten per cent of the trees yearly, which 

 is allowed by citrus men, need not be considered by 

 date growers. 



Lemon groves are plowed in the spring both ways , 

 and are cultivated between the irrigations. The 

 cost of plowing and cultivating averages about $35 

 per acre each year. The groves are irrigated every 

 month or six weeks from spring until fall; the cost 

 of water averages $15 per acre, and the labor of 

 applying it $1.00 per acre. As dates require more 

 water, these figures will probably not be high enough 

 for the palm plantation. 



Lemon groves are heavily fertilized with manure 

 or chemical fertilizers, or with both, the growers 

 using from $20 to $120 worth of fertilizer per acre 

 per year. Here the date grower will make a great 

 saving. 



It costs $15 per acre yearly to prune citrus trees. 

 It should cost less than one-third as much to trim 

 the palms, and this expense will be practically 

 negligible until the plantation has reached full 

 bearing. 



Fumigation and spraying of citrus groves costs 

 from $5 to $10 per acre, often much more, and must 

 be regularly done, while the palm plantation, if 

 properly started, should never require expense of this 

 kind. 



In most districts citrus trees have to be protected 

 against frost during winter months. Smudging costs 

 about $20 per acre per year. Date growers will 

 never have this expense. 



