438 



AVOCADO 



likely to show in productiveness, as well as in form, 

 size and quality of fruit, they are unsuitable for com- 

 mercial cultivation. For the home grounds, on account 

 of their ornamental value, they are worth planting; it 

 is imperative, however, to select seeds from the most 

 desirable fruits, of known quality and productiveness. 



The avocado is budded on seedlings of the same 

 species. For nursery purposes the seeds are usually 

 planted singly in pots or in rows in the open ground. 

 They may also be planted in flats, and potted off as 

 soon as they have germinated; as the roots are delicate 

 and easily injured, however, this is not a desirable 

 method. A glasshouse is unnecessary, provided the 

 seeds are planted during warm weather, 

 but they are usually started under a 

 lath or slat covering of some kind. 

 Seeds will not retain their vitality 

 very long, and should be planted as 

 fresh as possible. Pots or boxes less 

 than 4 inches in diameter should not be 

 used. The soil should be light and 

 porous, preferably 

 rich in humus. Most 

 avocado seeds are 

 somewhat conical; 

 they should be 

 planted with the 

 pointed end up, leav- 

 ing the tip projecting 

 above the surface of 

 the soil. The pots 

 should then be 

 plunged in a frame, 

 covered with straw 

 or litter, and kept 

 continually moist, 

 but not soggy. Ger- 

 mination will take 

 plac.e in two or 

 three weeks if condi- 

 tions are favorable. If 

 planted in the open ground, the seeds should be placed 

 in rows 3 or 4 feet apart, and 14 inches apart in the 

 row, covering them with an inch or two of soil. It is 

 well to cover the ground with a mulch of straw to 

 prevent evaporation as much as possible. 



The avocado is a rapid grower, and young plants 

 require frequent repotting. It is also a gross feeder, so 

 that a rich soil should be used. The plants may be 

 budded either in pots or in the open ground; if in the 

 former, they must be given very careful attention so as 

 to keep them growing vigorously, and should be in 6- 

 or 8-inch pots. They may be budded when '/jj inch in 

 diameter, or even slightly less. 



For avocados, shield budding, essentially the same as 

 practised with the citrus fruits, is most successful and 

 advantageous. The amateur may have some trouble 

 in performing the work successfully, but after a little 

 experience, few difficulties will be encountered. 



The season at which budding is most successful 

 naturally depends somewhat upon the locality. In 

 Florida, late autumn and winter budding is favored; 

 in California, May and June seem to be the best, 

 although good success is often obtained in the fall; in 

 Hawaii winter and early spring are preferred. Probably 

 the work can be done at any season when the bark will 

 slip readily, but all seasons are not equally advantageous. 



Selection of budwood is one of the most important 

 matters, and one likely to give the novice most trouble. 

 If the wood is too old or too far advanced, the buds are 

 almost certain to drop, leaving a "blind" shield; this 

 may happen even when good budwood is used, if the 

 stock is not in vigorous condition. The ideal wood is 

 of recent growth, but hardened up sufficiently so that it 

 does not snap on bending, and having plump, well- 

 developed buds. 



446. Avocado. 



AZALEA 



It is essential that the buds be cut large, not less 

 than 1 % inches in length, and thick enough so that a 

 small quantity of wood will be taken. In budding large 

 stocks, % inch in diameter, 2 inches is not too long for 

 the bud, provided the budstick is, as it always should 

 be, not less than ^g inch in diameter. The budding- 

 knife must be as keen as a razor, and kept in as 

 nearly that condition as possible by frequent strop- 

 ping or whetting the knife after cutting each thirty or 

 forty buds. The incision in the stock may be made 

 either in the form of a T or an inverted T, preferably 

 the latter, which has the recommendation of the most 

 successful avocado budders. In lifting the bark be 

 careful not to injure the delicate tissues which lie under 

 it, and push the bud in very gently. Tie it in firmly 

 with waxed tape, leaving the eye exposed. 



In three to five weeks the bud will have united with 

 the stock, and the wrap should be loosened; it should 

 not be entirely removed until the bud has made a growth 

 of 3 or 4 inches. Force the bud into growth by partly 

 girdling the stock 3 or 4 inches above it, or by cutting 

 off the stock about a foot above it. Lop- 

 ping is difficult, as the wood is brittle and 

 will frequently break off rather than be 

 lopped. The stock must be gone over every 

 week and all adventitious buds rubbed off. 

 When the bud is 8 or 10 inches high, the 

 stock may be trimmed off close above it, 

 and the stump covered with paint or graft- 

 ing-wax. 



Both inarching and grafting are prac- 

 tised to a limited extent, the latter usually 

 under glass. Neither of these methods is 

 so desirable as budding. Cuttings can be 

 grown if bottom heat is available but trees 

 produced in this way do not seem to have 

 ; .' the vigor of budded trees. 



Large, unproductive or undesirable seed- 

 lings should be worked over to a good 

 variety. This is not difficult to do by 

 budding; grafting is also possible. Cut the 

 tree back severely in spring, leaving only the stumps 

 of the largest branches, 3 or 4 inches in diameter, and 

 painting the cut ends with white lead. Numerous 

 sprouts will soon make their appearance; all but three 

 or four of these on each branch must be rubbed off, 

 and when these have attained a diameter of % inch 

 they can be budded in the same manner as seedlings. 

 It is necessary to loosen the wraps oftener, however, 

 as the sprouts naturally make a very rapid growl h. 

 Old trees worked over in this way will often produce 

 fruit in two years. p. \y. POPENOE. 



AZALEA (from Greek azaleas, dry: Linnaeus believed 

 them to grow in dry locations). Ericdcex. See Rhodo- 

 dendron. 



The genus Azalea seems botanically inseparable from 

 Rhododendron; there are no characters by which the 

 two genera can be clearly separated, though if one looks 

 only at the American species and those generally in 

 cultivation, the differences seem to be clear enough, 

 but if one takes into consideration the whole genus, 

 particularly as it is represented in Asia, where it reaches 

 its greatest development, one finds many species that 

 have the characters of these two groups combined in 

 various ways and render a natural and clear separation 

 impossible. 



Most of the species retain the same specific or varietal 

 name under Rhododendron, except the following: 



A. dtba, Sweet=Rhododendron rosmarinifolium. A. balaamirtx- 

 fldra, Carr.=R. indicum var. rosiflorura. A. californica, Buckl. 

 R. occidentale. A. Danielsiana Paxt.=R. indicum var. macran- 

 thum. A. ledi/dlia, Hook.=R. rosmarinifolium. A. lilhflora, 

 Poir.=R. rosmarinifolium. A. liitea, Linn.=R. calendulaceum. 

 A. m6Uii, Blume=R. sinense. A. m6llis, Miq.=R. japonicum. - 

 A. mucrondta, Blume=R. rosmarinifolium. A. pdntica, Linn. 

 R. luteum. A. proctimbens, I,inn.=Loiseleuria procumbcns. 

 A. punlcea, Sweet=R. rosmarinifolium. A. reticuldta, Koch= 





