152 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRL\TIOX BILL, 1924. 



Doctor Taylor. The arrangement with respect to the use of the 

 land and the shape in which the work would be undertaken is entirely 

 open as yet. There is nothing determined with regard to that. 

 The present holding at Indio is on land which the Government holds 

 in fee. 



The larger part of the commercial scale effort, however, is handled 

 under contracts for a period of years upon privately owned land, 

 under contracts which reserve to the (lepartment a share of the 

 offshoots and protect the department's right for experimental uses. 

 In most cases the cost of the trees — that is, of the offshoots imported 

 for those plantings— is borne by the owner of the land, so that the 

 Government expenditure is for the expenses of supervision and 

 3xperimentation, such as labor, salaries, and supplies. 



Mr. Buchanan. How long do date plants last after they are set 

 out ? 



Doctor Taylor. We have not in this country had them long enough 

 to know, but in the Old World, barring destructive insect trouble, 

 anywhere from 100 years upward. 



Mr. Buchanan. I did not care anything about any specified length 

 of time, but just wanted an idea. 



COMMERCLA.L SCALE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS FOR DATE CULTURE. 



Mr. Anderson. Where the owner furnishes the land and paj's for 

 the shoots, or offshoots, or whatever you call them, for a certain 

 period, then you turn the whole business over to the owners? 



Doctor Taylor. Yes. In such cases, the owners bear the entire 

 cost of the culture and labor and all of that. That is what we would 

 call commercial scale cooperative contract experiments. 



Our variety collection work, however, we do maintain upon land 

 either owned by the Government or b}* the State, so that the owner- 

 ship of the trees is in the Government. 



Mr. Anderson. Well, what do 3^ou propose to do, to add to the 

 work you are now doing under this? Do you have any staticms in 

 the Imperial Valley? 



Doctor Taylor. We need one station in the Imperial Valley, and 

 we need very much an additional man scientificallv trained who 

 can be out there throughout the entire year. Our field pei'sonnel at 

 the station has of necessity been headed by what we woulil call a 

 practical man, a man who has accomplished very excellent results, 

 but whose full time is occupied with tiie looking after the cultural 

 details and so on. There are lines of systematic experimentation 

 that we have to protect through the addition of a man who is trained ■, 

 to do that work. \u 



Mr. Anderson. Are you still bringing in offshoots over from 

 Egvpt? 



Doctor Taylor. We brought some in during this last spring, a 

 considerable quantity, most of which were financed by the planters 

 under these commercial scale contracts, although certain of (hem 

 were brou<;lit in for addition to our varietal cttllections. 



