1892 



LITCHI 



LITCHI 



Culture of the litchi. 



Of the numerous fruits cultivated in south China, 

 the litchi (Litchi chinensis) is one of the most highly 

 esteemed, both by natives and Europeans. It is con- 

 sidered indigenous to the region, but has been in cul- 

 tivation since a remote day, and lends itself to a wider 

 variety of uses than many other tropical fruits. As a 

 dried fruit it is well known, and is shipped to the 

 United States and other occidental countries, while a 



2184. Litchi. (x%) 



considerable quantity is preserved in syrup and ex- 

 ported. Like most other fruits, however, it is consid- 

 ered most delicious when fresh. 



Its cultivation is not limited to south China and the 

 adjoining regions. In parts of India it is very well 

 known, especially in the section north of Calcutta, 

 while.it is also grown to a limited extent in northeastern 

 Australia, Formosa, southern Japan, Hawaii, the West 

 Indies, Brazil, and other regions. It is said to have 

 been introduced to Florida in 1886, but, so far as known, 

 has not yet fruited in that state, although in certain 

 sections the climate and soil seem well adapted to its 

 culture. It bloomed at Tampa in 1914 and 1915, but 

 the trees were young and failed to carry any of their 

 fruit to maturity. In California it has been grown suc- 

 cessfully only in the most protected locations. The 

 first fruits ripened in that state were produced at 

 Santa Barbara in 1914. The litchi is quite susceptible 

 to frost when young, but mature trees will withstand 

 several degrees of freezing without permanent injury. 



The litchi is a small to medium-sized tree, usually 

 spreading in habit, with a dense head of bright green 

 foliage. The leaves are compound, with two or three 

 pairs of elliptical to lanceolate leaflets 2 to 3 inches in 

 length. In India it is said to flower in February, in 

 China during April, ripening its fruits about the first 

 of May in the one case and during July in the other. 

 The flowers are small and inconspicuous, but are pro- 

 duced in great abundance in terminal panicles. 



The fruits, which are borne in loose clusters of two 

 or three to twenty or even more, have been likened to 

 large strawberries in appearance. In shape they are 

 oval to ovate, in diameter 1 % inches in the better varie- 

 ties, and in color deep rose when fully ripe, changing to 

 dull brown as the fruit dries. The outer covering is 

 hard and brittle, rough on the surface and divided into 

 small scale-like areas, from which short conical pro- 

 tuberances usually arise. The seed is small and 

 shrivelled in the grafted varieties, but in seed- 

 lings is as large as a good-sized castor bean ; sur- 

 rounding it, and separating from it readily, is 

 the edible part, in reality the aril, which is 

 translucent, whitish, juicy, and of firm texture. 

 In flavor it is subacid, strongly suggestive of 

 the Royal Ann cherry, especially when cooked. 

 Finninger says it is "as delicious, perhaps, as 

 that of any fruit in existence." The fruit is dried 

 just as it comes from the tree, the aril shrinking 

 away from the thin outer shell and remaining as 

 a rather tough layer around the seed. In this 

 form the litchi is occasionally seen on fruit- 

 stands of American cities; the flavor bears little 

 resemblance to that of the fresh fruit, having 

 been likened to that of raisins. 



In China the litchi is said to succeed best 

 when planted on deep rich soil near the bank of 

 an irrigating-canal. A soil rich in humus is by 

 far the best, and there should be an abundance 

 of water for irrigating purposes. From the fact 

 that the tree does well in parts of northern 

 India where the rainfall is not more than 40 inches 

 per annum, it does not appear that a very humid 

 atmosphere is necessary, provided there is ample water 

 for irrigation. The trees should be set about 25 feet 

 apart, and require very little pruning. It is some- 

 times necessary to thin the young fruits, leaving no 

 more in a cluster than the tree can properly mature; 

 this results in larger and finer fruit. Seedlings do 

 not come into bearing until seven to nine years of 

 age, but trees propagated by layering or grafting 

 usually commence to bear at three to five years. Fer- 

 tilizing is said to be extensively practised by the 

 Chinese, an application of liquid manure being given 

 once in every three or four months. 



The gootee method of propagation, as it is known 

 in the Orient, is the method most commonly employed 

 by the Chinese, and is used in India as well. A healthy, 

 well-matured branch is chosen, and a narrow ring of 

 bark removed just below a leaf-bud or node. Around 

 this is formed a ball of clay soil, with an outer covering 

 of coconut fiber, tow, or moss, to hold it together. A 

 little above the ball a good-sized flower-pot or earthen 

 vessel is suspended, and a piece of soft rope is inserted 

 through the small hole in the bottom. The rope should 

 fit the hole snugly, and is knotted on the inside; it is 

 then carried to the gootee, and wound around the ball 

 several times. The water trickles from the pot, which 

 should be filled every day or two, and after running 

 slowly down the rope is distributed over the gootee, 

 keeping it uniformly moist. The gootee is made in 

 spring, from February to April, depending upon 

 climatic conditions, and at least three or four months 

 are required for roots to form. When the ball is filled 

 with roots and they begin to show on the surface, the 

 branch is severed from the tree and planted in its 

 permanent location in the orchard. 



