380 



CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



appear in the gutters of unpaved streets where the seeds have 

 been thrown during the rainy season. Director Forbes, of the 

 Arizona Station, says that seeds will come up more promptly if 

 first stratified. This may be done bv taking a gasoline can or 

 deep box and placing three inches of sand in the bottom after 

 making a number of holes in it for drainage. The seeds are placed 

 upon this layer and the can or box rilled with sand, the whole 

 then being put in a sheltered place and kept moist for three to 

 six weeks, when the seeds will be soft and ready for prompt 

 growth when planted. The seedlings may be started in nursery 

 rows for transplanting after one to three years, or if frequent 

 irrigations may be relied on, in the field where the trees are to 

 remain. 



Dr. W. T. Swingle, whose work on date growing has already 

 been cited, gives the following suggestions on the growing of seed- 

 lings and their subsequent handling to determine sex and to select 

 bearing palms of desirable type : 



The seed should be planted rather thickly in well-drained beds of fertile 

 soil, free from alkali. These beds should be watered frequently, as the young 

 date seedlings need an abundance of moisture. If properly cared for, the 

 seedlings will reach a height of from 12 to 18 inches the first year and can be 

 transplanted into the permanent orchard the second year. 



These seedlings should be set out' in rows about 30 feet apart and placed 

 5 or 6 feet apart in the row. Ordinarily field crops can be grown between the 

 rows until long after the palms come into bearing. After three or four years, 

 when the young palms begin to flower, the male trees can be dug up and 

 destroyed, thus thinning out about half of the trees. Then when the female 

 trees come into fruit, those which yield decidedly inferior fruit can also be 

 removed, so that finally about one-fourth of the original number of seedlings 

 will be left standing. The spaces between the seedlings will be irregular and 

 offshoots can be taken from the best sorts and planted where the largest gaps 

 occur. By preventing offshoots from growing on the poorer sorts they will 

 yield more fruit and finally can be destroyed and replaced by offshoots from 

 some of the better sorts. In this way, by degrees, the orchard can be improved 

 without expense for offshoots aside from the labor of planting them. 



Rooting Suckers. Suckers taken off in warm weather and 

 watered freely usually take root readily. Care should be taken 

 not to let the plants dry. Director Forbes gives these points : 

 Suckers should not be taken from the parent tree until they have 

 attained a diameter of 5 to 6 inches and a weight of 15 to 20 

 pounds. Suckers should be removed by cutting in and down 

 along the line of cleavage between them and the main trunk, with 

 a strong chisel or a flat-pointed bar. If possible the cut should 

 be carried down so as to bring away at least one or two sound 

 roots. The leaves should be closely pruned and for shipment the 

 cut bases had better be protected against drying out by layer of 

 wet moss or similar material. In planting, the sucker should be 

 set in previously irrigated and well settled soil to the depth of 

 its greatest diameter, taking care that the center of the palm is 

 not below the irrigating water level. 



