460 SYSTEMATIC POMOLOGY. 



west to South California for combined ornament and fruit production. 

 The bunches and fruits are medium size and fairly good in quality if 

 ripened on the plant. 



THE DATE. 



The Date Palm (Phoenix dactylijera) is an ancient fruit of the 

 desert. Sections 208, 209, and 210 of Part I give something of its his- 

 tory, habits of growth, propagation, after-care, and possible improve- 

 ment by crossing. In its native climes in Arabia, Northern Africa, 

 and other dry desert regions of the old world, it has run into many- 

 named varieties which are kept pure by propagation from suckers 

 from the crown (209). Mr. W. G. Palgrave, who has given much atten- 

 tion to date varieties in the Far East, says : " The fruit varies as much 

 in size, color, and quality under cultivation as does the apple in 

 temperate regions." The Date Palm has long been grown in Florida, 

 California, and other semi-tropical parts of the Union as an ornamental 

 tree. As in such localities it failed to perfect fruit, no attempt has 

 been made until recently to secure the best commercial varieties of 

 the Far East. The remarkable success of the old Mission trees in 

 Southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, in the way of bearing very 

 heavy crops of good fruit, led the Department of Agriculture to 

 import named varieties from the Far East. The first fruiting of 

 these at Phoenix, Arizona, determined the fact that they were not 

 true to name, and fully half of them were staminate varieties. But 

 later importations have been made with more care, and it is hoped 

 that in the near future the best seedling varieties of the old Missions 

 and of those imported will be commercially planted in Southern 

 Arizona and in the sunken desert of California. The seeds of the 

 commercial dates from Algeria, Syria, and Egypt germinate readily. 

 Often they sprout and grow on the unpaved streets of prairie villages 

 and small cities where the seeds are dropped. The pistillate varieties 

 from these seeds usually bear very good fruit, but it is variable, and 

 the proportion of staminate trees is much too great, as one staminate 

 to twenty pistillates is the usual proportion in Arizona. At the pres- 

 ent time, as Prof. J. W. Tourney says: "The Date industry of the 

 United States is in its infancy. Approved varieties have not as yet 

 been introduced, and the quantity of fruit produced has not reached 

 sufficient magnitude to give it a commercial rating." Hence at this 

 time no description of varieties is advisable. The only important fact 



