FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



89 



It would undoubtedly be good business 

 for avocado growers and nurserymen to 

 perfect plans for determining as quickly 

 and as exactly as may be possible the va- 

 rious combinations of interplantings most 

 favorable to fruit setting. Without this 

 it is up to the grower to interplant the 

 varieties which he wishes to grow on the 

 basis of their relative flower behavior 

 and to supply bees in abundance, placing 

 them among the avocado trees during the 

 blooming season. 



The accumulated results of such plan- 

 tings will no doubt in time reveal what 

 varieties will work best together and also 

 clear up many points regarding the way 

 the interplanting should be arranged. 



It may be noted that interplanting 

 aims to correct fruitlessness that is due 

 to faulty or inadequate pollination. The 

 manifold cultural and environmental con- 

 ditions which affect or determine the pro- 

 duction of fruit must also be met. They 

 exist quite apart from the problems of 

 pollination and they may very frequently 

 limit production of fruit when all the con- 

 ditions for proper pollination are satisfied. 



There appear to be few legitimate ob- 

 jections to the interplanting of avocados. 

 It seemingly entails no vital problem in 

 culture. No very serious difficulties 

 would be involved in the picking and 

 grading of fruit. To grow two or three 

 different varieties on one trunk will re- 

 quire the use of varieties which will grow 

 together and make a well shaped tree, 

 but this may not be necessary. 



Finally it may be said that in making 

 interplantings along the lines which now 

 seem most promising the grower has noth- 

 ing to lose and there is the chance that 



he will gain something worth while. He 

 may not immediately hit upon the best 

 combination which fills the bill in all 

 three particular — i. e. (a) gives chance 

 for proper pollination^ (b) encourages 

 and facilitates cross-visitations of bees 

 and (c) involves strong affinities in ferti- 

 lization — but this much is certain, he 

 will be no worse off than if he planted in 

 solid blocks. He simply plays a game in 

 which he has nothing to lose but stands 

 a good chance to gain. 



TENTING EXPERIMENTS 



Experimental evidence as to what ex- 

 tent trees of different varieties of avoca- 

 dos are self-fruitful is one of special in- 

 terest and of practical bearing on the 

 planting of varieties in solid blocks. 

 Whether proper pollinations for fruit set- 

 ting, either self or close, are possible and if 

 so for what varieties and for what types 

 of flower behavior are matters which 

 should be determined. 



During the past season some evidence 

 bearing on these questions, was obtained 

 by tenting experiments, conducted near 

 Homestead, Florida, in the groves of Mr. 

 W. J. Krome, who for years has been a 

 leader in efforts to solve avocado prob- 

 lems. In these experiments a tree of 

 each of the varieties Linda, Panchoy, 

 Taft and Trapp was entirely covered with 

 a tent in which a hive of bees was con- 

 fined. It was the plan thus to supply 

 abundant or even excessive means of pol- 

 lination. Probably this was far beyond 

 that possible in open orchard practice. 



A frame of 2x4 timbers was erected 

 on a base of 2x6 timbers and firmly brac- 

 ed. Furring strips were nailed to the 



