liUd 



LOQUAT 



LOROPETALUM 



budtting kH'ing tlu' inotlioil prt'forrfil in thi' United 

 States, jiiui usii;dl>' employed when trees :in> desired for 

 commenMid phuiting. SeiHllinns nrt> often planleil in 

 doorviints, where they not only serve :is ;idinir;d)le or- 

 n:uiient:d Invs. but protinee ;ui al)unil;inee of reason- 

 ably piKxl fruit. In budding and grafting, seedling 

 loaiiats :\n" gmierally used as stocks. \\ hen budded on 

 quinee, the tnv is considerably dwarfed; this stoek is 

 sometimes used, liowcver, because its tibrous root- 

 sj-stom readily i>ermits of transplanting. Seeds should 

 bo planteii as soon :is n-moved from the fruit, either 

 singly in ixit.s, or in flats from which they can be potted 

 off later on. .\ light loam .should be used, covering the 

 seotls to a <lei)th of about 1 inch. When the young 

 plants have attained a height of (> or 7 inches, they 

 may be planted in nursery rows iu tlie o|)en groimd, 

 where they can be grown until the stems are about 

 }^ inch in diameter at the base, when they are ready 

 for budding. This is best done during October or 

 November, dependiog upon climatic conditions. The 



buds are allowed to lie dormant until early spring, 

 when they must be forced into growth. Budwood 

 should be of young and smooth wood, preferably that 

 which has turned brown and lost its pubescence, and 

 from which the leaves have dropped. Shield-budding, 

 essentially the same as practised with the citrous fruits, 

 is the method commonly used. Tlie buds sliould be 

 eut somewhat larger than for the orang(^, preferably 

 not leas than 13^ inches in length. After in.scrting 

 them in T-incisions made in tlie stocks at a convenient 

 point not far above the ground, they should be tied 

 with raffia, soft cotton string, or waxefl tape, and left 

 about three weeks, when they should hav(^ foriiu^d a 

 union. At this time they may be unwTappcd, and if 

 necessary, rewTapped loosely, so as to allow th(! buds 

 to start into growth. When not rewrappefl, the bark 

 sometimes opens up around tht- bud and exposes it to 

 the air, causing its death. The stoi^k must be cut back 

 to a point about 3 inches above the bud, and all ad- 

 ventitious buds rubbed ofT as fast as they mak(! their 

 appearance. Difficulty is sometimes experienced in 

 forcing the bud into growth. 



In grafting, a simple cleft graft is used, with a cion 

 of ab'.iut the diametx;r of a lead pencil, and of well- 

 matured wixxl. 



Most of the named varieties of the loquat have 

 originated in Japan, Algeria and California. Ikeda 

 mentions forty-six varieties of .Japanese origin, of which 

 eight are recommended as the best for cultivation. 



Trabut of Algiers describes twelve varieties of Alge- 

 rian origin, though none of them is con.sidered so 

 desirable, from a comniercial stan<lpoint, as Tanaka, 

 with the possible exception of Taza, which resulted 

 from a cross between Tanaka and one of th(; local 

 forms. Tanaka is of .lapancse origin, but has been 

 grown in .Mgeria for several y<'ars, and also to a very 

 limited extent in California, where it has not, however, 

 become lus pojiular as .several varieties of local origin. 

 Most of the varieties originated in the United States 

 have been jiroduced by C. V. Taft, of Orange, Cali- 

 fornia, who h.'is done more to iniiirove the loquat than 

 any other man. .Among the best may be mentioned 

 .\dvance, a bright y<'llow, pyriform fruit, sometimes 

 ■i inches in length, produced in very large, compact 

 clusters and ripening from March to ,Iune; Chaniiiagne, 

 oval to pyril'orm, 2 to li inches in length, white-lleshed, 

 produced in clusters as large as those of Advance but 

 less compact, considered the best of all in flavor; 

 Premier, oval, not quite so large as Advance, salmon- 

 orange in color; Victor, a very large and showy fruit, 

 in loose clusters, not considered valuable in California 

 because it ripens late in the sea,son; Early Red, a pyri- 

 form, deep or.ange-colored fruit, 1 to 2 inches in length, 

 produced in medium-sizeii clusters, valuable because 

 it is the earliest of all, commencing to ripen in late 

 January. Tanaka is an attractive fruit of large size 

 and deep orange-color, with unusually 

 good shipping qualities, but it ripens 

 too late to be of commercial value in 

 California. The earliest fruits are the 

 ones which yield the greatest returns, 

 because they come into market at a 

 time when fresh fruits are scarce. 



F. W. POPENOE. 



LORANTHUS (slrap-flower, from the 

 form of the petals). Loranthacex. 

 Sever.al hundred parasitic evergreen 

 shrubs, mostly of tropics in many 

 countries; one of the extensive mistle- 

 toe family. They are not horticultural 

 subjects, but attempts are sometimes 

 made to grow them, it is said with suc- 

 cess, by sowing them on the exposed 

 roots or branches of their hosts. The 

 Ivs. are opposite or alternate, entire, usually either 

 thick or fleshy: fls. usually perfect, often showy, the 

 4-6 i)etals free or more or less joined to form a tubular 

 corolla; calyx entire or 4-6-toothed; stamens as many as 

 petals and attached on them: fr. a berry or drupe, with 

 mucilaginous viscid contents. They are parasitic on 

 ujjper parts of trees or .shrubs or sometimes on the ground. 



LOROPETALUM (Greek lorm, strap, and petalum, 

 alluding to the strap-shaped petals). Hamamelidaccse. 

 Ornamental shrubs grown chiefly for their white flow- 

 ers, appearing in winter or early spring. 



Evergreen, stellate-pubescent: Ivs. alternate, shorts 

 petioled, entire, without stipules: fls. fascicled at the 

 end of short branclilets, .sessile; calyx short, 4-lobed; 

 petals 4, linear; stamens 4, with very short filaments; 

 ovary inferior, 2-celled: caps, woody, dehiscent, 2- 

 seeded. — Two species in China. 



Only Ij. chiMCMHc is in cultivation, a handsome much- 

 branched shrub with rather small dull persistent foliage 

 and clustered white or .sometimes yellowish or greenish 

 white feathery flowers in early spring. It will probably 

 b<^ hardy as far north ;us Washington, D. C. It is a 

 desirable plant for the cool greenhouse and if grown in 

 pots a peaty and sandy soil will suit it best. Even 

 where tlie (ilant is hardy out-of-doors, the flowers are 

 lialile to be injured by frost. Propagation is by seeds, 

 and probably by grafting on llaraamelis. 



chlnense, Oliver (Ilamnmhlis cidnfnsis, R. Br.). 

 Shri/b, to 12 ft.: branchlets densely ferrugineous-pu- 



