122 THE DATE PALM. 



REGIONS IN THE UNITED STATES WHERE DATE CULTURE CA: 



SUCCEED. 



CALIFORNIA. 



Salton Basin or Colorado Desert (see Pis. Ill, IV, XVIII, fig. 1 an 

 fig. 10, p. 102). It is clear, from what has preceded in this bulletii 

 that the Salton Basin or Colorado Desert is not only the most promi 

 ing region in the United States, or in North America, for the cultui 

 of the best sort of dates, but that it is actually better adapted for th 

 profitable culture than those parts of the Sahara Desert where tl 

 best export dates are produced. This favored region, though sma 

 in comparison with the vast arid areas of the Southwest, is neverth 

 less larger than any one Saharan oasis, probably equaling in extei 

 all the oases in the western Sahara from Tripoli to Morocco, and 

 capable of producing all the dates consumed in America. Only the va 

 date plantations along the Valley of the Shat-el-Arab, formed by tl 

 junction of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, near the head of the Pe 

 sian Gulf, which furnish most of the great quantities of dates consume 

 in the United States, are comparable in extent with the irrigable po 

 tion of the Salton Basin. 



The study of the life histor}^ of the date palm has shown that in tl 

 Salton Basin the long, hot summers, the very dry atmosphere, and tl 

 almost complete absence of rain during the flowering and ripenir 

 seasons of the date palm render the climate particularly adapted 

 the culture of the choice late-ripening sorts, such as the famous Degl 

 Noor. At the same time the presence of an abundant supply of wati 

 of excellent quality and the extreme fertility of the soil render tl 

 conditions unusually propitious for the establishment of this profitab 

 fruit culture. The presence of considerable amounts of alkali in tl 

 soil has been shown to be no obstacle to the growth of this plant, whic 

 is harmed only by exceptionally large quantities of alkali. Inde< 

 the presence of alkali, by rendering much of the land ill fitted < 

 entirely unsuitable for other culture, constitutes one of the most coge: 

 reasons for the speedy introduction of this resistant plant in order 

 enable all the lands now under irrigation to be put to profitable use. 



Death Valley (see map, PL IV). The Death Valley, a depression 

 some places 320 feet below sea level, situated in east central Calif orni 

 near the boundary of Nevada, is in many ways very like the Salt( 

 Basin, and may be considered as a more northern extension of tl 

 same general conditions. Being some 4 degrees (300 miles) farth 

 north than the Salton Basin, the winters are probably much colde 

 and possibly only hardy varieties of date palms will succeed, though 

 is probable that most sorts can be grown in certain protected situ 

 tions if well covered in winter when young. The summer heat 



Since the above was written, an experimental date garden has been establish 

 in the Salton Basin at Mecca. (See footnote, p. 110.) 



