THE DATE 209 



The Arabs plant offshoots at once in their permanent loca- 

 tions in the orchard, but the best results will be obtained by first 

 rooting the young plants in a shed or frame where the two 

 necessary conditions of high temperature and high humidity can 

 be maintained. In California this is often done cooperatively. 



A common type of shed for an individual grower is 12 by 20 

 feet in size with side walls 6 and 7 feet high respectively, present- 

 ing a roof-slope to the sun. The sides are usually of boards 

 covered with tarred paper and the roof of 8- or 10-ounce canvas. 

 In such a shed on an ordinary California summer day, the 

 temperature will be about 115 and the humidity should be 

 about 75. 



The soil inside the shed should be a light sandy loam, well 

 drained. Ten inches of the top soil should be removed and 

 replaced with fresh stable manure, well packed, on which 2 

 inches of soil should be replaced. After a thorough flooding, 

 the bed should be allowed to steam for a week, and then be 

 flooded again, whereupon it is ready for the offshoots. These 

 should be planted about 8 inches deep ; in any case the bud must 

 be above danger of flooding. During the summer the bed 

 must be flooded at least twice a week, to keep the humidity at as 

 high a point as possible. The offshoots must be kept in it until 

 they are thoroughly rooted and have half a dozen new leaves. 

 This may require one year or may need several years. 



The causes that may lead to failure with offshoots are sum- 

 marized by Drummond as : " (1) improper selection of the 

 location for the nursery bed ; (2) failure to construct the frame 

 so nearly air-tight as to insure the necessary humidity and high 

 temperature; (3) improper methods of cutting and pruning, 

 and the neglect of seasoning before planting in the nursery-bed ; 

 and (4) the neglect of irrigation when necessary and failure 

 to apply water properly. The points above mentioned are all 

 essential to success, and to neglect one and observe the others 

 may lead to as great a failure as to neglect them all." On the 



