306 FLORIDA FRUITS ODDS AND ENDS. 



Go over young groves or orchards or single trees that 

 are dead or stunted, and in every case almost you will find 

 the bark scalded and peeling off on the south and south- 

 west sides. And where the tree has vitality enough to 

 drag on its weary existence, the presence of this "sun- 

 scald " will be found a standing invitation to borers and 

 wood-lice to enter and put in their death-dealing work. 



So you see it will pay to protect the delicate stems 

 of your trees. How ? It is very easily done, and quickly. 

 The long, gray moss of the hammocks is excellent for 

 wrapping around the trunks ; just as good and more con- 

 venient for many are newspapers lightly tied. Either of 

 these will last for months, and should be kept in place all 

 the year around, until the trunks are well shaded by over- 

 hanging limbs. 



SPECIALTIES IN BUDDING. 



While Chapter IV of this volume deals in thorough de- 

 tail with the several methods of budding and grafting, yet 

 there are some few trees and plants which require especial 

 care as to the mode and time of propagating by these 

 methods. One of these, which is now attracting great and 

 deserved attention, is the 



JAPANESE PERSIMMON. 



Since the introduction of this valuable fruit into our 

 country the idea has generally prevailed that its propaga- 

 tion upon our native stock is very difficult and uncertain. 

 Now, the truth is exactly contrary, if one only knows how 

 to set about it. 



The trouble was at first, that orange growers especially, 

 being more accustomed to budding than to grafting, nat- 

 urally tried to apply the same process to the Japan persim- 

 mon, forgetting, or being ignorant of an old rule in horti- 

 culture, that trees having thick bark should be propagated 



