128 THE DATE PALM. 



by the Department of Agriculture in 1889 and 1890 grown rapidly 

 and produced good fruit abundantly. This bulletin was the first 

 important study of the date palm published in America, and it did 

 much to attract attention to the possibility of establishing date cul- 

 ture as a profitable industry in the Southwest. 



Although there are many regions in California, and some in Ari- 

 zona, where the summer temperatures are higher than they are in the 

 Salt River Valley, the only considerable area of land under irrigation 

 where the climate is more favorable to the date palm is the Salton 

 Basin in California. It may be stated that date culture is no longer 

 an experiment in the Salt River Valley. It is, however, not yet cer- 

 tain that the Deglet Noor variety, which brings the highest price in 

 the market, will come to full maturity here. It is to be hoped that it 

 will, and the outlook is not without promise (see p. 68). If this vari- 

 ety does ripen properly, there can be but little question that it will be 

 profitable to plant it on the best lands in the valley and to irrigate it 

 abundantly. The 'question as to whether the Deglet Noor can mature 

 its fruits in central Arizona will be settled within a very few years by 

 the experiments now in progress at Tempe, in this valley (see PL XXII). 



In case the Deglet Noor does not succeed in this valley, the effort 

 should be made to produce a date intermediate in quality between the 

 Deglet Noor and the ordinary dates sold in bulk in this country. Such 

 a good second-class date would compete with the selected Bassorah and 

 Maskat dates for household uses and take the place of Deglet Noor 

 dates to some extent for use as a dessert fruit. Owing to the nearness 

 to markets, the Salt River Valley dates could be sold while still fresh 

 and need not be deformed by the close packing needful to preserve 

 the oriental dates from drying out or from spoiling while en route to 

 America. 



The collection of varieties at the Cooperative Date Garden at Tempe 

 is by far the most complete in the world, since it comprises the best 

 known varieties from the Algerian Sahara, from Egypt, and from the 

 regions about Bassorah and Maskat, where most of the dates imported 

 into America are produced, as well as a large collection of varieties 

 from the Pangh Grhur region in Baluchistan. Together with the seed- 

 lings that have originated in the valley and the sorts growing at the 

 experiment station farm at Phoenix, there are something over 90 

 named varieties now on trial in the Salt River Valley. It is very 

 probable that some of these will prove to be adapted for profitable 

 culture in this valley, even if the Deglet Noor can not mature. 



There are several seedling dates that have originated in the Salt 

 River Valley in Arizona which promise to be valuable. One of the 

 best of these is the Lount No. 6. It is small, being rather smaller than 

 the Wolf skill date, but of very good texture, of clear amber color when 

 dried, and of fairly good flavor. The Kales date and the Bennet date 

 (fig. 4, p. 32) are seedlings of considerable merit, also growing near 



