40 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



by the fact that the pith sinks in the cut ends of large limbs, 

 leaving a small cavity to collect water and maintain the moist 

 conditions which are so favorable to fungous growth. 



Opinions differ as to the best time for pruning. In Florida 

 late fall and winter, November to February, have proved suit- 

 able. In California the best growers seem to favor spring or 

 fall. According to Krome, pruning in hot weather often 

 results in serious injury. The most favorable times seem to 

 be early spring, before growth has commenced and before the 

 heat of summer, and autumn after hot weather is past. 



PROPAGATION 



Avocados do not come true from seed ; that is, a tree grown 

 from a seed of the Trapp variety will not produce Trapp fruits, 

 although it may produce fruits similar in character. For 

 commercial purposes it is necessary to propagate the trees 

 by budding or grafting, in order to insure good fruit of uniform 

 quality and to eliminate sparse bearers, or trees otherwise 

 undesirable. 



Seedling avocados are often grown, especially in the tropics. 

 While named varieties cannot be propagated in this way, if 

 the seed is taken from good fruit the tree which it produces 

 is likely to bear such fruit. But occasionally seedling trees 

 do not bear, and some have other undesirable qualities, so 

 that it is always best to plant a budded tree. Seedlings can 

 only be recommended, in fact, where a tree is desired for the 

 dooryard merely, in which case the ornamental appearance 

 of the avocado makes it eminently satisfactory. If such trees 

 do not bear well no special loss is entailed. 



Since 1901, when George B. Cellon first budded the avocado 

 commercially, several methods of vegetative propagation have 

 been applied to this plant by nurserymen. While all of these 

 have been successful in the hands of certain propagators, 



