DATE PALM, THE Part 2
Description
The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: “The date is the fruit of the Date palm and has been cultivated for 4,000 years. This tree bears its fruit only in the driest and warmest regions. Without the date, the desert regions would not be inhabited.” “The desert lands of southern California and Arizona --” Palms growing in sand dunes, man walking among them. “-- will grow the Date palm when the land is cleared and irrigated.” Field - young palms set in rows, mules in background - farmer loading debris from planting and trimming into mule-drawn cart. “The Date can be grown from the seed but the best trees come from the offshoots which grow at the base of a palm. Cutting away the offshoots.” “Setting the offshoots -- 49 trees to each acre.” “Trimming the newly set palm.” “Discing the Date palm grove.” Tractor-hauled discs. “The fruit is not left to ripen until the palm is strong. This Date orchard in the Imperial Valley is twelve years old. The fruit is covered by cloth bags to protect it from birds and insects.” Worker attaches bag to fruit. “Dates are borne in bunches among the feathery palm leaves. Each tree bears eight to ten bunches weighing twenty-five pounds each.” Worker uses ladder to climb tree. “The date must have long continued high temperature and dry atmosphere to ripen. Picking --” Worker picks dates individually from cluster. “The golden fruit is ‘candied sunshine.’ Each one in this bunch is one to two inches long.” Worker removes bag from fruit cluster, examines fruit. “In the Sahara Desert, the rich sugar ‘date honey’ is drained into jars. The Sahara dates are dried, packed in bags and sent by caravan to a port. After picking and washing, the fruit is placed in a fumigating chamber.” Interior of processing plant - trays of dates being placed in fumigator. “Carbon bisulphide gas kills the injurious insects and prevents fermentation. The dates are inspected.” Worker removes dates from fumigator, eats one. “Our growers keep the dates sweet and clean -- inside this drum, the fruit is cleaned by rubbing against cloth.” “Sorting for size and quality.” “As the date is eaten raw, it must be kept clean.” “Picking the ‘bread of the desert’ in boxes. The date is 65 percent sugar and is as nourishing as wheat or beef.” Packing dates into small boxes by hand. [1920]
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