114 DATE GROWING 



is carried through the winter. In an ordinary date 

 country the grower is not likely ever to see such a case, 

 but if he did, the value of it would be lost to him 

 unless he had some pollen stored up in reserve. 



Artificial pollination is the only delicate operation 

 connected with the culture of the palm, and the 

 inexperienced grower usually is frightened by it; 

 yet it is troublesome not because of any intrinsic 

 difficulty, but merely because it is a kind of work 

 which the average rancher is not accustomed to 

 perform. Any man of average intelligence can do it, 

 and once he has done it he will have no hesitation 

 about attempting it a second time. But as the 

 success of the crop absolutely depends on it, and as the 

 beginner is naturally worried by this fact, I will go 

 over the necessary operations again. 



When a female spathe begins to crack, a male 

 spathe in the proper stage of development must at 

 once be selected. It is better not to wait until the male 

 spathe has split open, as a good deal of the pollen 

 will then be lost; its brown color and soft texture 

 usually indicate when it is about ready to open. The 

 spathe is then cut off and the cluster taken from it. 

 It will be seen that the pollen sacs have not yet burst, 

 but are still covered by their waxy white scales. 

 The small sprigs of the flower should be cut apart and 

 spread out in a dry place, free from air currents, until 

 they burst and have had a chance to dry ; if put in the 

 sun this will take only a few hours in an atmosphere 

 such as that of Coachella Valley. They should then 

 be placed in a paper bag for convenience in carrying; 

 if the pollen falls out of its sacs it will be held in the 

 bag, and can still be used. The spathe of the female 

 flower, which has already split, is pulled apart to 



