116 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Apeil 16, 1910. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



THE PROPAGATION OF THE AVOCADO 



PEAR. 



The following account of a method for propagating 

 the avocado pear is taken from the Bulletin of the 

 Departvient of Agriculture, Bahamas, Vol. IV, No. 

 4:— 



As in the early days of the orange industry, the bud- 

 ding of citrus fruits was thought to be very difficult, so the 

 budding of the avocado was at first considered a complicated 

 operation, but the difficulties are rapidly being cleared away, 

 as experience is accumulated, and by experiments. The 

 writer has frequently succeeded in getting an average of 75 

 per cent, of buds to develop into trees. The general impression 

 is that tlie avocado is difficult to transplant, and, budded trees 

 being expensive, those buying trees prefer to purchase them 

 established in boxes or pots. To meet this demand, the seed 

 is placed in the pot and allowed to develop until it is ready 

 to bud; or the seed is planted in a nursery in rows 3i to 4i 

 feet apart, 6 to 8 inches apart in the row, where the trees 

 grow- until they are budded and ready for the market, when 

 they are taken out of the nursery and planted in pots or 

 boxes, where they remain until they are well established; this 

 will take from four to six weeks. 



The method of budding is the same as that employed 

 in the budding of citrus fruits. Many complaints have been 

 made that the buds do not take, or that they do not start 

 readily. This is due, not to an inherent difficulty in the 

 budding of the avocado, but rather to the inexperience of 

 the performer, either in Ijudding, or, more frequently, 

 in the selection of bud-wood. Only large, well-developed 

 buds should be inserted, and these should be rather larger 

 than citrus buds — certainly not less than |-inch in length and 

 preferably 1 inch, as small buds are frequently grown over, 

 where the stock is in a vigorous condition, as it should be. In 

 experiments, it has been found that tender wood is preferable 

 to older wood, and even soft and tender tops, inserted as 

 spring buds, have been used with perfect success. AVhere old 

 and hardened wood is employed, the buds frequently drop, 

 making a 'blind bud'. For wrapping the buds waxed cloth is 

 preferable to string, as it affords the bud better protection 

 from injury and water. The buds should be inserted during 

 the spring and early sunmier, and not later than August. Two 

 weeks from the date of budding, they have taken, and the 



trees are ready to be lopped. The trees should now be examined 

 every two weeks, the wild sprouts rubbed off, and when the 

 buds have made a growth of 8 to 12 inches, the stock may 

 be trimmed back to the bud. It frequently occurs at this 

 period that a fungus, ('oUetntricItuiii sp., enters the wound and 

 kills the bud. The loss of buds may be diminished by cover- 

 ing the cut with grafting wax, to prevent the entrance of the 

 fungus. 



The discovery of the feasibility of budding the avocadij 

 being very recent, only a few varieties have been distributed. 

 Of these, the best known are the Trapp, a variety fruiting 

 until Christmas, and commanding a fancy price because 

 of its lateness. The Pollock, which bears a pear-shaped 

 fruit, is known mainly for the size of the latter, which has 

 been recorded as weighing 4 tt); it has a fine flavour. 



Anyone in possession of large unproductive avocados 

 can easily convert them into paying trees by cutting them 

 down about .3 or 4 feet above ground and budding the sprouts, 

 which will soon make a start. For home use, any fruit of 

 good quality will answer the purpose. In budding for 

 a commercial orchard, it should be kept in mind that the 

 very early and late varieties command the highest price. 

 Other desirable points are : (1) prolificness; (2) smooth, 

 thick and leathery skin; (.1) a fruit of good keeping quali- 

 ties; (4) the possession of seeds which fill the middle of the 

 fruit, as a loose seed bruises the fiesh, while the fruit is in 

 transit; (.5) a small seed. 



The best material for making grafting or budding tape 

 is cheap cotton cloth which will tear easily. Kip up the 

 cloth in strips of desired widths, say G or 7 inches, and 

 roll these tightly on stout iron wire as long as the width of 

 the cotton strips. Several strips may be rolled on until the 

 roll is 1 inch in diameter; tie a string around the roll at 

 each end to prevent unrolling while being boiled in the wax. 

 A good wax is made by boiling together 2 lb. of beeswax, 

 2 lb. of resin, and l-B) of good lard; when the mixture is boil- 

 ing, put in the rolls of cloth and let them remain for fifteen 

 minutes; take them out, and allow to cool before putting 

 away. The iron wire is more desirable than sticks of 

 wood, as the weight of the wire keeps the roll below the 

 ■surface of the boiling mass. Another advantage in using the 

 wire is, that if the wooden sticks are not (|uite dry, the water 

 as it is converted to steam will cause the contents to boil over. 



