PROPAGATION BY OFFSHOOTS 65 



will soon straighten up when it begins to grow. If 

 planted separately the offshoots should have small 

 basins dug around them to receive the irrigating water; 

 if in rows, a furrow on each side will serve the same 

 purpose. The principle to be borne in mind at all 

 times is that water must be kept away from the 

 terminal bud. 



A new method of planting has been tried at 

 Sacaton, Arizona, with success. The offshoots are 

 set to the usual depth, and then well wrapped with 

 burlap, around which earth is piled to make a conical 

 mound, nearly to the height of the terminal bud, 

 which is protected by the wrapping. Water is then 

 given in a basin of ample size at the base. The 

 theory underlying this innovation is that the mound of 

 dry earth around the stem retains the heat of the 

 sun and retards the lowering of temperature of the 

 shoot at night. 



If shoots are set out in nursery rows they should 

 be three feet apart, at least, and the rows four or five 

 feet apart. If in permanent form, I consider that 

 thirty-three feet apart each way, or forty to the acre, 

 is ample distance; most have been planted in the 

 United States fifty to the acre, and the Arabs often 

 get one hundred on the same space of ground. Even 

 in the best Arab plantations, they are rarely planted 

 more than twenty feet apart, but the Arabs recognize, 

 in theory at least, that this is a shortsighted policy. 

 Faqir Amin says, " It is bad for each palm to be planted 

 less than ten meters (about thirty -three feet) from the 

 other, and it has been proved that palms closer than 

 this yield only a small amount, and if you have fifty 

 palms and plant them far apart and one hundred 

 palms and plant them closer, the fifty will yield more 



