shifted till their summer growth has fairly hardened, as when too 

 soft and tender it is apt to die back. If trees cannot be planted in 

 the autumn it will be advisable to wait till early in the spring, as 

 they are apt to suffer severely if shifted during the winter. It is a 

 mistake to transplant these trees in June or July, as is too frequently 

 done. As with Oranges and other evergreens, special care must be 

 taken in transplanting Loquats not to let the roots be exposed to a 

 dry atmosphere. If planted in orchard fashion the trees should 

 stand twenty-four feet apart to allow room for full development ; 

 when planted for breadwinds they should stand about twelve feet 

 apart. Young trees must be pruned freely to secure strong growth 

 in the required directions. Mature trees will require but little 

 pruning, all that is necessary being the removal of dead, rank, and 

 misplaced shoots, and thinning out the branches when too much 

 crowded. The ground at all times ought to be kept as free as possible 

 from weeds, and the surface soil should be mulched to the distance 

 the roots extend before the hot weather sets in. The Loquat is a 

 strong- feeding tree, and to keep it in good heart an occasional dressing 

 of manure must be given unless the soil is naturally rich. When 

 trees are neglected in this respect their growth becomes weak and 

 straggling, and they soon cease to yield payable crops of fruit. 



PROPAGATION. 



Strange to say, though the Loquat has been cultivated for a long 

 period in Australasia it has been greatly neglected, so far as naming 

 and perpetuating superior varieties as in the case of all other culti- 

 vated fruits. The trees now grown, as a rule, are simply seedlings, 

 whose fruit may be either inferior or superior, and, as with all other 

 kinds, there will be no certainty as to its quality until the plant 

 bears. Sometimes there is a large proportion of flesh in. proportion 

 to the size of the seeds, and, consequently, the fruit is superior. On 

 the other hand, very often the seeds are disproportionately large, and 

 they are only thinly covered with flesh, when the fruit may be 

 considered to be inferior. It is quite easy for cultivators to make 

 selections from the finest and most useful fruits, and perpetuate them 

 by budding and grafting. Were this plan to be adopted, inferior 

 kinds would soon be made to give place to varieties known to possess 

 the best qualities. Grafting may be easily effected, but the writer 

 has found that budding is a still better means of propagation. 

 Seedlings are readily obtained, and will be ready for working in 

 their second year. Seeds should be sown soon after the fruit is ripe, 

 covering them to the depth of two inches. Plants can be readily 

 obtained from layers, but these, as a rule, do not make such strong 

 trees as seedlings. 



MAMMEE. 



HISTORY AND USES. 

 This is the native Indian name for the fruit of Mammea Americana, 



