16 PROPAGATION OF TROPICAL FRUIT TREES, ETC. 



Mexico unci Arizona it will probably be found to thrive. In several 

 States it ripens very large crops of fruit. Its period of blooming 

 extends from September till frost, according to variety and location; 

 the fruit ripens in spring. 



In the more temperate regions many trees have been planted; most 

 of them, however, are of seed origin, and it may confidently be said 

 that were they of the finer varieties such as are cultivated in some 

 parts of the Old World, the fruit would be more appreciated through- 

 out the country. The trees at present in cultivation may be put to a 

 very good use; they can be very easily worked with new varieties, as 

 the loquat is one of the easiest subjects with which the propagator 

 has to deal. 



The agents of this Department have of late been assiduous in col- 

 lecting new or little-known varieties, principally from the Mediter- 

 ranean region, but also from China and Japan, and there are now in 

 the Department greenhouses several kinds of great promise, from 

 which a considerable quantity of bud wood may be distributed. Some 

 of these varieties are said to be nearly seedless, a characteristic much 

 to be desired, as the seeds are ordinarily quite large and occupy a 

 considerable portion of the fruit. 



RAISING SEEDLING STOCKS. 



In a favorable climate the loquat bears heavy crops of fruit annually, 

 and so gives an abundant supply of seed from which to raise plants to 

 use as stocks for the reception of buds and grafts of the improved 

 varieties. It will be found that when a tree sets a large quantity of 

 fruit, a certain proportion will, within a short period, attain medium size 

 and change color suddenly. These fruits, however, are almost taste- 

 less, there being very little pulp in them; but the seeds are invariably 

 good, and from the fact of ripening early they will, if sown as soon 

 as gathered, produce larger plants by the end of the growing season 

 than the seedlings raised from seeds which ripen later. As young 

 loquat plants, budded or otherwise propagated, are not so difficult to 

 transplant as are the great majority of evergreen trees, there is little 

 necessity for pot cultivation, as the work of propagation can be per- 

 formed in the open air without encountering any serious difficulty. 

 The seeds should be sown an inch deep, about 6 inches apart, in rows 

 distant from each other from 2 to 3 feet, to allow horse cultivation 

 and to give an abundance of space for the operator to work when 

 budding. After sowing, the ground should be covered with an inch 

 or two of long stable litter, or any other material which will shelter 

 the ground from the sun and at the same time be easily removed when 

 the sprouts appear through the soil. At this period very careful 

 cultivation is necessary, as it is imperative that the surface soil in the 

 immediate vicinity of the young plants should be kept loose. 



