18 SEED FOE PROPAGATION 



have very small seeds and in the case of the fig are very 

 difficult to start, in fact many of them are infertile. 

 Olives and quinces are as frequently propagated from cut- 

 tings as from seed; and apples, pears and most of the citrus 

 fruits may be grown in this way. The stone fruits are dif- 

 ficult to propagate vegetatively but can be so grown. The 

 methods employed in growing trees from cuttings are quite 

 different from seed propagation and will be discussed later. 



Shipping Seed. As much of the fruit tree seed is 

 gathered a long way from where it is to be used, some 

 attention must be given to preparation for shipment. 

 Most seed should be dry enough so it will not mold in 

 bulk, yet not enough to lessen the germinating qualities. 

 Most all of the nut fruits when thoroughly dried fail to 

 grow. This is largely the reason why commercial nuts 

 bought on the open market do not grow. 



Small seeds like apple and pear may be mixed with 

 powdered charcoal which acts as an equalizer of moisture. 

 Larger seeds may be shipped in paper bags or cloth sacks 

 anywhere on land, but if they are to cross the ocean they 

 must be protected from salt air and excessive moisture. 

 Oiled paper is used for small quantities, while boxes lined 

 with some waterproofing material are used for large 

 quantities. 



Quantities Used. No carefully prepared statistics 

 showing the quantities of fruit seed imported are avail- 

 able, but an average estimate from known sources would 

 probably reach two hundred thousand dollars annually. 

 Many nursery companies prefer to have the seed grown one 

 year and then imported as seedlings. This method repre- 



