. Date culture in Southern California. Date palm. 32 last winter. Dr. Swingle is attempting this winter to secure authentic offshoots from Morocco, ;md to secure more data relative to the method of artificial maturation practised, which gives the flesh the consistency of a chocolate caramel, and renders it so dry that it can he shipped anywhere. The date is larger than most of those so far introduced to the United States, dark in color and characterized by a wrinkled skin. Unfortunately, there is little prospect of getting offshoots on a commercial scale for several years, be- cause of the uns
. Date culture in Southern California. Date palm. 32 last winter. Dr. Swingle is attempting this winter to secure authentic offshoots from Morocco, ;md to secure more data relative to the method of artificial maturation practised, which gives the flesh the consistency of a chocolate caramel, and renders it so dry that it can he shipped anywhere. The date is larger than most of those so far introduced to the United States, dark in color and characterized by a wrinkled skin. Unfortunately, there is little prospect of getting offshoots on a commercial scale for several years, be- cause of the unsettled state of political affairs in Morocco, and even then the government may decide to prohibit the exportation. There are a dozen or more other varieties of superlative dates in the world, which have not yet been secured for the United States, and any of these may turn out to be equal to our best. The industry will not wait for them, however, although the Bureau of Plant Industry is showing a commendable zeal in securing them; but with the Per- sian Gulf dates to be secured this winter, and the North African varieties already here, there is range enough to suit the most fastidious grower. No Danger of Mistake. The question is often asked, "How can one be sure, in Inlying offshoots, that they will be true to name—that he will not be deceived by the seller?" If lie is buying only one or two offshoots, lie must depend on the honesty of the seller, unless he is as expert as the Arabs, who can tell most of the varieties merely by a glance, under any con- ditions. In buying offshoots on a large scale, for importation, the problem does not present itself to any marked degree. Each variety is characterized by certain differences in color, in foliage, in the arrangement of the spines, and par- ticularly in the arrangement of the fibres, which are present just as much in the offshoot as in the parent tree, and serve as reliable and invariable guides to the identity. Conseq
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Keywords: ., bookauthorjamesgeo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1912
