Pomona College Journal of Economic Botany 421 



before being admitted as bona fide citizens to the date world of the United 

 States. 



After being thus rudely torn from the side of the parent plant to make 

 a ninety day journey over land and sea, at the end of which they are given 

 a half hour bath in a solution strong enough to kill all animal parasites, 

 these young date palms are hauled to their new home where the rooting 

 process is to take place. Here, they are unloaded on the ground and lie 

 in the burning heat, sometimes for two days, before they are set in the 

 ground and watered. This exposure to the dry air and intense heat tends 

 to dry them thoroughly and stop any fungous growth that may have started, 



Plate 175. This photograph shows a bed of seed flats ready to receive the seeds; the 

 boxes have been sunk in the ground and filled with soil; after planting 

 and covering, the bed can be easily flooded with water from the ditch. 

 A fair idea may here be gained of the barrenness of the desert. The 

 darkest clumps are mesquite; the low growing, lighter colored clumps are 

 salt bush, grease-wood, etc. 



as well as to reduce the danger to the palms of rotting after they have been 

 planted. Thus far, the shoots seem to have been indifferent to much harsh 

 treatment; but after planting in the nursery rows, they demand skilled and 

 systematic attention. They must be kept continually moist and are generally 

 watered every other day for the first six weeks. After this time, the fre- 



