460 



DATE 



they are to remain, as a second chance for loss occurs 

 when they are planted in a nursery and later moved to 

 the position that they are iinally to occupy. A 2-inch 

 chisel, well sharpened, and an appropriate mallet are 

 the important tools to use in removing suckers. The 

 leafstalks should be cut away, exposing the bulb of the 

 sucker, care being taken not to injure the bulb in re- 

 moving. One should cut in rather deeply at either side, 

 not being afraid of injuring the old plant, cutting out a 

 V-shaped portion extending from the base of the bulb 

 downward for a foot or more, and being careful to se- 

 cure in uninjured condition all the attached roots. If 

 the position of the sucker be not too high above the 

 ground the V-shaped portion should be continued down- 

 ward into the soil, that all established roots be obtained. 



Under proper cultivation the Date palm should pro- 

 duce from 10 to 14 leaves each year. A well developed 

 tree will have at one time from 30 to 60 leaves, the old 

 ones dying away below while new ones are forming at 

 the top. The different varieties show great variation in 

 rapidity of growth, form and length of leaves, size of 

 stem, and general aspect of plant. The stem of the 

 Date palm is very elastic, and when it reaches a height 

 of 10 or more feet it is frequently necessary to tie the 

 growing bunches of Dates securely to the lower leaf- 

 stalks, that they be not broken and injured by the wind 

 before maturity. 



For further information, consult Bull. 29, Arizona 

 Exp. Sta. J. w. ToiTJEY. 



A successful method of propagation of Date trees is 

 to bank up earth about the base of the parent tree and 

 above the base of the suckers, and keep moist by wa- 

 tering daily to induce formation of roots. Suckers may be 

 partially severed from the old stock before the banking 

 is done, or after the roots have started. When the roots 

 are well grown, the suckers may be transplanted with 

 little loss. 



For purposes of pollination the Arabs usually plant 

 about one male tree to 25 female or fruit-bearing trees. 

 In order to secure perfect pollination, they cut sprays 

 of male blossoms, when the pollen is in the best condi- 

 tion, and tie them to the leaf-stems above the pistillate 

 flowers at the time they are opening. If this were done 

 in cases where isolated female Date trees are growing 

 in America, there would be much perfect and delicious 

 fruit where now there is that which is worthless, be- 

 cause of the lack of pollination. 



In the earlier importations the agents were imposed 

 upon by either ignorant or designing natives of Egypt, 

 by sending seedlings instead of rooted suckers, which 

 were specifically ordered. The varieties from Algeria 

 and Arabia were suckers from the ln-st varieties, but un- 

 fortunately, most of them ha^'e 'lird. At least two are 

 yet living at the CaliforniaExperiirjiiit Station at Tulare. 

 This year, 1899, the Department uf Agriculture at Wash- 

 ington has succeeded in importing, through a special 

 agent sent to Algeria, a number of suckers from the best 

 bearing trees in that country, and further efforts are be- 

 ing made to secure more plants from there, and from 

 other famous Date-growing countries. 



H. E. Van Deman. 



DATE PLUM. Another name of Persimmon. 



DATtlKA (Arabic name). Includes Bnigmansia. 

 Solu iidcew. This genus contains the widespread James- 

 town Weed and several plants cultivated for their 

 huge trumpet-like flowers, which have an odor that is 

 very pleasant to some. The genus has perhaps 25 

 species, widely dispersed in warm and temperate re- 

 gions. Herbs, shrubs and trees : Ivs. large, entire or 

 wavy-toothed: fls. large, solitary, erect or pendulous, 

 mostly white, with more or less violet, rarely red or 

 yellow: fr. spiny. The most i>ci|)ul:ir kind in northern 

 gardens is connnonly called IK cnriturnjiia (Fig. 681), 

 which is especially interesting \\\u-u its flowers develop 

 2 or 3 well-defined trum]»ts. ..lu- within another. Some- 

 times, however, these cl<.uhlc (lu«i-rs are a confused 

 mass of petalage. DuiiMc ami trii>le forms are likely to 

 occur in any of the spei'iis discrilii-d below. The Horn 

 of Plenty, J>. corlincnpi,, . has bi-.-n especially popular 

 in America since about IMi.'i. when it was founil in South 

 America by an orchid collector of the United States 



DATURA 



Nursery Company, and soon became widely distributed 

 in "yellow, white, blue and deep carmine," all double 

 forms. The "yellow" was probably adull, creamy shade, 

 and the "blue," a violet. The disseminators assert 

 that seeds started in January, February or March will 

 produce 200-300 fragrant flowers in a season. 



Daturas contain strong narcotics. Large doses are poi- 

 sonous, small doses medicinal. Separate preparations of 

 Stramonium seed and leaves are commonly sold in the 

 drug stores. V. Stramonium (Pig. 682) is the Thorn 

 Apple or Jamestown Weed, the latter name being cor- 

 rupted into Jimpson Weed. Its t'uul. rank lurbage and 

 large spiny fruits are often sei-n in rubliisli ln-aps. At 

 the first successful settlement in Anit-rica — -lauu-stown, 

 Va., 1607— it is said that the men ate tli.-^r tliuru apples 



witli curious results. Capt. John Smiths .- unt of their 



mad antics is very entertaining. It has Im-.h .■.mji-ctured 

 that this same plant was used by the priists at Delphi to 

 produce oracular ravings. The seeds of It. s't iif/irinea 

 are said to have been used by Peruvian pri.sts that were 

 believed to have prophetic power. The Arabs of neutral 

 Africa are said to smoke parts of the dried plant for 

 asthma and influenza. 



Daturas are of easy culture. Some are treated as 

 tender annuals. In the north the woody species can be 

 grown outdoors in summer, and stored in cellars during 

 the winter; in the south and in S. California they are 

 jilmost everblooming. Daturas are sometimes kept 

 in cool conservatories the year round, in which case 

 they should be planted in the border, as Daturas rarely 

 flower well in pots, their roots being large and spread- 

 ing and reqtiiring a constant supi'ly of moisture. This 

 method produces great quantities cd' bloom in spring. 

 After flowering, the plants should be eiit in to tlie main 

 limbs, or a very straggling and unsightly growth will 

 result. 



A. Flowers red. 



sanguinea, Ruiz. & Pav. Tree-like shrub, 4-12 ft. high : 

 branches fragile, leafy at the apex: Ivs. clustered, 5-7 

 from the same point, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, almost 

 7 in. long, 2/2-2% in. wide, pubescent on both sides, 

 shining green abi,ve. paler beneath, the lower Ivs. wavy 

 t>v angled, ujiper one entire; petioles 2% in. long, chan- 

 neled, puliiseent: peilunides terminal : fls. pendulous, 

 brilliant orange red. about 8 in. long; calvx ovate, 5- 

 angled, variegated, inflated. Peru. B.R. 20:1739. F.S. 

 18: 1883.— Franceschi says it is more erect-growing 

 than B. corniyera and J>. snaveolens, with smaller, less 

 open and not fragrant fls. All the other species are 

 said to be easily raised from cuttings, but this is very 

 slow to take root. 



AA. Flowers yellow. 

 chlor&ntha, Hook. Shrub, glabrous throughout: Ivs. 

 broadly ovate, almost triangular.: margin wavy, with 

 short, rather sharp, very distinct teeth : pedtmcles axil- 

 lary, very short: fls. pendulous, yellow; calyx tubular, 

 with 5 nearly uniform, short, triangular teeth. Habitat 

 unknown. B.M.5128. Gn. 46: 988 and 49, p. 379. -Datura 

 "(icildeu Queen" is presumably a horticultural variety 

 of this species. While this species is liorticurally dis- 

 tinct by reason of its yellow fls., it is a very doubtful 



