90 DATE GROWING 



have never given any signs of a surfeit in their growth, 

 although excess of water has a very bad effect on the 

 crop itself. 



On the other hand, cultivation will take the place 

 of irrigation to some extent, by keeping the water 

 in the soil after it is once put there. The Arab 

 neglects this because of his indolence, but the scientific 

 grower can not afford to do so. As with irrigation, 

 there is no danger of giving too much cultivation, 

 but there is danger of giving too little. 



It is impossible to give advice that will fit all 

 conditions, but I believe that on ordinarily good soil 

 a thorough irrigation once a week, followed by 

 cultivation as soon as the ground is dry enough to 

 work, would be ideal throughout the summer. In 

 lighter soil, unless the subsoil be of such a nature as 

 to retain water well, I would certainly irrigate oftener. 

 In winter the interval can be lengthened, particularly 

 as most palms lie nearly dormant for some time, and 

 advantage can often be taken of timely rains. It 

 has sometimes been advised that irrigation should 

 be suspended during the winter because it would tend 

 to make the palms more sensitive to frost, but obser- 

 vations in California following the cold weather of 

 January, 1913, indicate that this theory has little 

 importance in practice. If irrigated well in late 

 winter, palms will flower earlier, and thus fruit earlier 

 — ^an advantage well worth gaining. 



Americans usually suspend irrigation for a few 

 weeks while palms are being pollinated, on the ground 

 that a better stand of fruit will be secured, because 

 moisture will cause the blossoms to drop before they 

 set. In theory this seems plausible, but in practice 

 it will be found that most Arab growers do not observe 



