/ 
required in the case of many of our special crops, while the prospects 
for good returns and good markets are much greater than in the case 
of cotton and sugar cane. Figs thrive at Indio, and should be thor¬ 
oughly tested at Calexico and Imperial, particularly the Smyrna 
varieties, together with the necessary capri-figs. Some attention 
should also be given to the raising of the finest varieties of table figs, 
with a view to catching an early market. These should be carefully 
experimented with, however, before attempting to launch out 
extensively; it is better to make haste slowly in such matters. 
A fully illustrated account of the Smyrna fig industry and the 
process of caprification is contained in the Yearbook of the United 
States Department of Agriculture for 1900. 
DATES. 
The Colorado Desert is one of the few places in the United States 
where, the Date palm is likely to grow to perfection. At Indio Mr. 
G. W. Durbrow now has a number of young date palms, four 
years old from the seed, which are six feet high. The Date should be 
raised from suckers of high-grade trees in preference to raising it from 
seed, as seedlings are apt to deteriorate; care must be taken to secure 
both male and female trees. A fully illustrated account of the Date 
industry is contained in the Yearbook of the United States Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture for 1900. In this article we find the following 
note: "The value of the dates imported into the United States, 
alone, averaged for the ten years ending June 30, 1900, $402,762 per 
annum, as appraised at the exporting point. The real value when 
received at the American port was doubtless 50 per cent greater, or 
$600,000 a 3 r ear, an amount now exceeded only by the imports of two 
other dried fruits—Zante currants and Smyrna figs." 
TREES FOR TIMBER, SHADE, AND FUEL. 
A species of Cottonwood (Populus) from the Colorado bottoms 
and another species from the vicinity of Colton have been used at 
Indio with success on account of the rapidity of their growth and the 
good shade they afford. They are objected to on two counts, how¬ 
ever: first, the quantity of "cotton" which they shed, and, second, 
the poor quality of the wood for fuel and other purposes. The first 
difficulty can be obviated by propagating only from poles or cuttings 
of male trees, which do not produce cotton; the second, only by 
planting some other kind of tree. 
Eucalypts. Some settlers have already invested in seedling Blue 
Gums (Eucalyptus globulus). This species is entirely unsuited to the 
climatic conditions of the region. It will not stand either the low 
winter temperature or the dry heat of summer. 
