Vol. III. No. 64. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ul 



THE AVOOADO PEAR IN FLORIDA. 



A bulletin, * recently issued b}- the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, contains a complete account of the 

 propagation, cultivation, and marketing of the avocado 

 pear (Fi'mtyi yratissimji)- As this tree is widely 

 cultivated throughout the West Indies, the follouing 

 short summary is likely to be of interest: — 



The avocado has never been subjected to cultivation and 

 careful breeding. The.se pages have been prepared with 

 a view to systematizing our knowledge of it and to pointing 

 out the directions for its ira[irovenient. 



/'()/• Wind-Lrealc^ and Shudi- jnirpoges. — The vigorous- 

 growing varieties of avocado will serve as wind-breaks as 

 satisfactorily at purely ornamental trees, and in addition 

 may be expected to give a vctiu-n of fruit. The tall, sturdy 

 growth makes free pruning of the lower limbs possible, while 

 the abundant growth of leaves will still produce a dense 

 .shade. 



Methods of staitiHff 'in Orchard. — While there are 

 various ways in which orchards can lie successfully started, 

 the following is recommended. Place the seeds in a well- 

 prepared seed bed, from 4 to 6 inches apart in a drill, 3 or 4 

 inches deep. Transplant from the seed bed to the nursery 

 when the seedlings are from 6 to 12 inches high. For 

 transplanting rainy weather should be chosen, otherwise 

 much watering will be necessary. In the nursery the rows 

 should be from 4 to 6 feet apart, and the trees set al)Out 

 a foot apart in the row. After planting in the nursery, 

 cultivation should be thorough and frequent. 



Budding. — In the avocado there seems to be no difficulty 

 in making the buds take, liut there is considerable difficulty 

 in making them start. Exijerience indicates that budding at 

 or near the crown is preferal)le to top-working. It is very 

 important that the stock and scion be in as perfect condition 

 as possible. The common shield-bud method seems to be 

 as successful as any that have been tried. 



Tranqjlantlng to the Field. — A tree should not be 

 transplanted from the nursery until it has attained a height 

 of about 3 feet. In taking up these trees as many of the 

 smaller roots should be secured as possible. The roots 

 should be kejit moist, and the tree well watered when set out. 

 The toil sliould be cut back to some extent, but enough foliage 

 left to shade the stem. If the tree is not sufficiently 

 provided with leaves, an artificial shade can be made by the 

 use of palmetto fans. A considerable quantity of mulch 

 should be placed about them : this jirevents the soil from 

 becoming hot about the roots and from drying out. 



One hundred budded trees to an acre are sufficient. Of 

 the large-growing varieties eighty trees to the aci'e will be 

 found sufficient. 



Superioriti/ of luidded Tites. — Avocados do not come 

 true to seed, and orchards of seedling trees cannot be relied 

 upon to produce good crops. Budded trees bear earlier than 

 seedling trees. 



Picking. — As now grown, the fruits of a tree do not as 

 a rule mature uniformly, so that in most cases two or more 



*jBH/?e//(i No. 61. 'The Avocado in Florida : its prupaga- 

 tiun, cultivatiim, and marketing.' Bv P. H. Rolfs. Washing- 

 ton, 1904. 



pickings have to be made. The fruit must be removed from 

 the tree while it is still very firm, if it is to be shipped to 

 a distant market. The fruit should be broken f>tf so as to 

 leave a portion of tJie stem attached to the fruit. 



racking. — Care must be exercised to have all the 

 specimens in a crate of uniform shape and size. For ship- 

 ping purpo.ses the market at present demands a tomato crate 

 or an egg-plant crate. Before jjacking, each individual pear 

 should be wrapped in some substantial and attractive paper. 



I'ear-shaped fruits and oblong sluqies are preferred. 

 Hound are less desirable than Iiottle-necketl fruits. 



THE CULTIVATION OF CACAO. 



The following note on the cultivation of cacao 

 in Colombia appeared in the United States Monthly 

 CiiiiKiihi r Ri'ji(>rf-'< for April: — 



For the information of persons desirous of engaging in 

 the cacao business in our insular posse.s.sions, I submit" the 

 following memorandum of the process gone through in 

 Colombia in preparing this bean for commerce. 



The first thing is to observe care in gathering the crofi 

 in season, oi- the bean suffers in appearance and quality. 



The cacao berry is generally extracted at the plautatinn, 

 thus avoiding transportation of the husk. 



Xo machinery is used for the purpose of extracting the 

 berry, the husk being broken byhandAvith a wooden mallet or 

 with a short, curved-edge machete. The husk is cut open 

 lengthways by two cuts on opposite sides, care being taken 

 not to cut the berry. 



After opening the husk the grains are removed by hand 

 or a small wooden ladle and taken to the cleaning house, 

 where they are put in a wooden tank, having a slight slo|ie, 

 or in a room tiled with bricks and also having an inclined 

 floor, the object of which is the draining off of tlie fluid from 

 the cacao. This tank or room is known as a drain. The 

 cacao is left to drain from thirty to forty -eight hours and is 

 then placed in the sun to dry, either in brickyards or on 

 hurdles of wood, which can be covered with sacking. 



After a day in the sun it is stored two days for fermenta- 

 tion, as this is necessary to give the cacao gi-ains tjie 

 market requirements. It is then placed in the sun every day 

 to dry thoroughly and, to hurry this process, it is laid out in 

 laj'ers and stirred frequently with wooden rakes. 



Whenever this sunning process is hindered by rain, 

 hurdles are used, being [ilaced over a fire made of dry wood, 

 the latter precaution being taken to prevent smoke. There 

 is also a machine made for the purpose of drying cacao. 



During the sunning and previous to laying out in yards 

 or hurdles, and while the cacao is still fairly moist, it should 

 be mixed u}) with brick dust to wdiich lias been added a little 

 common a.sli in the proportion of about 9 to 1. The result 

 of this is that a varnish like dust forms over it, giving it 

 not only the necessary colour, but preserving it from what is 

 known as the grub insect. 



The husk of the cacao is used on plantations as nninure. 



Copaiba Balsam. Copaiba balsam is obtained 

 from leguminous trees of the genus Copaifira (principally 

 C. officinalis), which are indigenous to tropical America. 

 Copaifara officinalis is also recorded in several of the West 

 Indiii Islands. The [irincipal varieties are .\Iaracaibo balsam 

 and the Para balsam. According to the Consular Report on 

 Caracas, the exports of copaiba oil from Maracaibo amounted, 

 in 1903, to 6l'-5 cwt., valued at £3,986. Coiwiba is used in 

 the jirejiaration of various medicines and is a specific for 

 bronchial troubles. 



