42 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



have even been kept for three or four months in good condition, 

 in the dry climate of California. 



Previous to the issuing of Quarantine Order No. 12 of the 

 Federal Horticultural Board, prohibiting the importation of 

 avocado seeds from Mexico, many thousands were imported 

 annually to California from that country. In shipping these, 

 the best results were obtained when the seeds were removed 

 from the fruit, washed immediately, dried in the shade, and 

 packed loosely in wooden boxes without the addition of moist- 

 ened sawdust, charcoal, sphagnum moss, or other material. 

 The percentage of loss with such seeds was insignificant. When 

 shipping seeds from moist tropical regions, greater difficulty 

 is experienced, decay being more troublesome. Good results 

 are sometimes secured by shipping in slightly dampened char- 

 coal, but where the distance is not too great the best method 

 seems to be to wash and dry the seeds and then pack them 

 loosely in wooden boxes, as above described. 



Seeds are planted in pots, boxes, flats, or in the open ground. 

 For nursery work on a large scale, planting in flats and seed- 

 beds has given excellent results. The seedlings are transplanted 

 almost as soon as they have sprouted. In California seeds 

 planted in the seed-bed during autumn, October to December, 

 will make plants six to twelve inches high by March or April, 

 when they may be planted out in the field in nursery rows. 



While seedlings are sometimes budded in pots or boxes, field 

 budding is more satisfactory, as it is difficult to bring pot-grown 

 trees into the vigorous growth essential to success in budding. 



Planting in the field should be done in California as soon as 

 danger from frost and cold weather is past. Nursery rows 

 should be 3 to 4 feet apart, with the plants 18 inches apart in 

 the row (or about 12 inches in Florida). Partial shade should 

 always be given the young plants for a few days after they 

 are set in the open, especially if they have been sprouted, as 

 they should be, under a lath- or slat-house. In Florida, seeds 



