NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 2271 



markets for the entire crop are to be found in the popu- 

 lous mining to vras of the state; and consequently, prac- 

 tically no outside shipments are made. Peaches and 

 pears are grown to the best advantage in irrigated 

 valleys at higher altitudes, although they will also 

 endure fairly well climatic conditions as low as Yuma. 

 The Elberta peach is probably the best all-round variety 

 for Arizona, although Late Crawford, Salway, Sylphide 

 Cling, and others, do well. Among pears, the Kieffer 

 produces fruit of comparatively fair quality for this 

 variety; while Le Conte, Bartlett, Winter Nelis, and 

 others, may be grown. A great advantage of the 

 Kieffer is its resistance to blight, which badly affects 

 other varieties in the region. Peaches and pears are 

 also locally consumed, not yet being produced in suffici- 

 ent quantity for outside shipments. Grapes produce 

 abundantly in all sections, American varieties being 

 grown at higher altitudes, while European varieties do 

 best in the lower and warmer irrigated valleys. Raisins 

 may also be manufactured from suitable varieties of 

 grapes in those parts of Arizona sufficiently free from 

 summer rains to permit of outdoor drying. Oranges, 

 including Washington Navel, Valencia, Ruby, St. 

 Michaels, Jaffa, and Mediterranean Sweet, can be 

 grown at higher levels, in irrigated valleys up to 1,200 

 feet altitude in southern Arizona. Pomelos, including 

 Marsh Seedless, Triumph, Duncan, and Aurantian, 

 produce fruit of superior appearance and good quality. 

 Lemons are profitably grown in the least frosty parts of 

 the citrous districts. 



Citrous fruits ripen in Arizona well in advance of the 

 California crop, and as yet, fortunately, the orchards 

 are entirely free from the pernicious scale insects which 

 infest the orchards of California and Florida. These 

 advantages, together with abundant and dependable 

 water-supplies developed by the United States Recla- 

 mation Service and other projects in southern Arizona, 

 give the citrous fruit-grower of the region special advan- 

 tages in supplying eastern markets. Development of 

 the citrous industry is therefore taking place rapidly, 

 and probably will soon be the most important horti- 

 cultural industry in Arizona. 



The olive, which comes from semi-arid parts of the 

 Old World, is at home in the lower irrigated valleys of 

 Arizona. The trees grow vigorously with moderate 

 water-supplies and are entirely free from the black scale 

 which so disfigures the orchards of southern California. 

 The quality of fruit produced is high, and the develop- 

 ment of the oil and pickling industries is rapidly taking 

 place at this time. The varieties best suited for pickles 

 are Mission, Manzanillo, Sevillano; those best suited 

 for oil are Mission, Correggiola, Nevadillo, Razza, 

 Pendulina, and others. On account of its drought-resist- 

 ance, the olive will undoubtedly be developed in parts 

 of southern Arizona not having sufficient water for the 

 more intensively cultivated crops. 



The date palm is a very interesting and promising 

 crop for altitudes up to 2,500 feet. In parts of north- 

 west Mexico, resembling southern Arizona in climate, 

 date palms up to 200 years of age, producing heavy 

 crops, indicate a successful outcome for the many trees 

 that are now being planted in southern Arizona. The 

 selection of varieties of dates is exceedingly important 

 because of the great difference in quality, productive- 

 ness and time of ripening of the different varieties. 

 Although conditions in southern Arizona generally 

 resemble those in date-growing regions of the Old 

 World, they are sufficiently different in detail to 

 reopen the whole question of the particular sorts best 

 suited to Arizona conditions. At Tempe, 124 varieties of 

 Old World dates have been under trial for fifteen years 

 to determine the types best suited to Arizona condi- 

 tions. Among the varieties at present approved for 

 Arizona are Hayany, Khadvawi, Kustawi, Maktum, 

 Moltagi, Nazi el Bacha, and possibly Deglet Noor, 

 the ideal being an early semi-dry cane-sugar date of 



high quality, ripening on the bunch, as far as possible, 

 at one time. 



The palm has many enemies, including rats and 

 gophers, which may be controlled by poison and ex- 

 plosives; and date palm scales from the Old World, 

 which multiply enormously under southwestern con- 

 ditions. These, however, can be controlled by the 

 blast-torch treatment, and by carbolic sprays. The 

 fruit is damaged by untimely rains, by fruit-eating 

 beetles, and by a spot-fungous disease which thrives in 

 damp weather. To some extent these difficulties may 

 all be overcome by artificial ripening processes, by 

 means of which the mature but not yet soft fruits may 

 be removed in bunches from the trees and artificially 

 ripened by chemical or thermal treatments which 

 hasten the maturing process, in rooms protected from 

 insect pests or weather. Pasteurization of the finished 

 product also kills the maggots and insect eggs which 

 would otherwise in a short time ruin the product. 



Many varieties of Adriatic figs are grown at altitudes 

 up to 3,000 feet. Climatic conditions, especially along 

 the Colorado River, are also favorable to the culture 

 and handling of Smyrna figs, which, however, have not 

 yet been developed because of the time required to 

 establish Capri figs suitable for the maintenance of the 

 Blastophaga wasp. Smyrna figs, however, should in time 

 become an important horticultural asset of the region. 



Heavy yields of cantaloupes of high quality are of 

 frequent occurrence. Six cantaloupe-growers' associa- 

 tions have been organized in Arizona at different times, 

 and the annual shipments are probably not far from 

 400,000 crates of melons. 



Sugar-beets have been grown as a winter and spring 

 crop, being planted in southern Arizona from Decem- 

 ber to February and harvested mostly during June and 

 July. 



Winter onions produce abundantly, crops of 20,000 

 pounds an acre of White Bermudas being recorded. 



Strawberries produce from February to November 

 in southern Arizona, the Arizona Everbearing being a 

 productive variety originating in the region. 



Beginnings are being made in various horticultural 

 industries, such as the manufacture of olive oil and 

 pickles, tomato canning, and the like. 



On account of the newness of the region, the nursery 

 business is only in its beginning, the larger part of 

 nursery stock and seeds being imported from other 

 states. Citrous stock for home trade, however, will 

 soon be produced exclusively in Arizona, largely on 

 account of the quarantine regulations established under 

 the Crop Pest Law. The two largest nurseries in the 

 state are located near Phoenix and Safford, respectively, 

 and serve the Salt and Gila River valleys, in which they 

 are located. The opportunity for developing varieties 

 especially adapted to the region is exceptional, expe- 

 rience having shown in other new districts, especially 

 in California, that the best varieties for a region are 

 finally found to be those which originate there. 



Public-service agencies for horticulture. 



The Land-Grant school of Arizona is situated at 

 Tucson. It was legally established in 1885, but opera- 

 tions did not begin until 1891. There are but two 

 members of the horticultural staff. 



The Experiment Station is also located at Tucson, 

 although the cultural work is distributed through the 

 state as follows: gardens and greenhouses at Tucson; 

 experimental farm near Phoenix; date orchards and 

 intensive gardens at Tempe and Yuma; dry farms at 

 Cochise, Prescqtt and Snowflake. The staff consists of 

 nineteen scientific workers. The number of horticul- 

 tural bulletins and timely hints for farmers is approxi- 

 mately thirty-three. 



The inspection of nurseries and orchards is in charge 

 of the Horticultural Commission, a board of three 

 members. 



