THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 143 



the application of water, will quickly recover and fruit again. On 

 accouut of its drought resistance it would seem that more general 

 planting of the better varieties would be justified. For the proper 

 maturing of the fruit a large number of heat units is necessary, and 

 for this reason the pomegranate is most successful in the hot interior 

 valleys. It seldom ripens well near the coast, usually remaining very 

 sour and tart, and poorly colored. The plant will stand almost any 

 amount of heat but is injured by temperatures of eight to fifteen 

 degrees Fahrenheit, and frozen to the ground by zero temperatures. It 

 is not hardy above thirty-four degrees of latitude. It blooms late, in 

 April and May, and so escapes danger from spring frosts. The fruit 

 ripens from October to December. 



CULTURE AND PROPAGATION. 



Investigations by the California Station during 1894 and 1895 in 

 regard to alkali resistance showed that the pomegranate is one of the 

 most resistant plants, all varieties being apparently equally resistant. 

 It is growTi very successfully throughout the State and elsewhere on 

 widely different soil types and has not proven to be particular in regard 

 to soils. Heavy soils, especially those with plenty of lime, seem to give 

 the best results. For healthy, vigorous fruiting moderate irrigation is 

 required. 



The pomegranate is very easily propagated by hardw^ood cuttings, 

 either calloused in sand over winter and set out in the spring, or planted 

 immediately. A very high percentage of cuttings will grow. Seeds 

 germinate readily but should not be used, as they do not come true to 

 type. In a study of variation in seedling pomegranates made last year 

 by the writer, it was found that the normal range of variation is very 

 wide. Every degree of color in fruit and flesh from pale yellow to 

 deep crimson was observed. Widely varying lengths of calyx tube and 

 sepals, thicknesses of rind, hardnesses of seed, amounts of pulp and 

 flesh were found. Propagation should always be by cuttings from a 

 plant of known desirable type. 



The plant is most commonly grown in hedge form or as border trees, 

 though a few plantings are made on the square system at a distance of 

 fifteen to twenty feet each way. In hedge form the trees may be as 

 close as eight feet. Clean summer tillage is practiced where any culti- 

 vation is given. A system of straw mulching should serve the same 

 purpose better and w'ould probably be cheaper. 



Practically no pruning is done, other than cutting out interfering 

 branches and dead wood. An occasional thinning out to encourage new 

 w^ood formation should be given the tree, though care must be taken 

 not to remove too much, as the fruit is borne on short spurs on old 

 wood. Fruit should be clipped from the tree, as the spur is firmly 

 attached to the rind and if pulled off the fruit is usually injured. The 

 pomegranate is a remarkable keeper and if handled carefully may be 

 kept in good condition three or four months and in many cases even 

 longer. The rind shrivels and becomes hard and tough but the interior 

 remains fresh and juicy. I have broken a fruit open, placed the halves 

 in a paper bag and six weeks later the arils were as fresh and plump 

 as the day the fruit was cut. and no decay whatsoever had set in where 

 the arils themselves had not been broken. 



