170 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



In California it has done well on heavy clay (almost adobe), 

 while in Florida it makes satisfactory growth on shallow sandy 

 soils. H. F. Schultz considers the ideal soil to be a fairly rich, 

 loose sandy loam, underlaid with gravel at a depth of two to 

 three feet. He says : " Some of the best Campo Santo and 

 Betania (Argentina) groves are located on such land, which is 

 furthermore characterized by a liberal outcropping of scattered 

 rocks." Carlos Werckle states that the tree does well in Costa 

 Rica on "stony cliffs. " He reports that it is more productive 

 under these conditions than when grown on richer soil, and him- 

 self considers it partial to mountain slopes on which there is 

 much limestone rock. 



Experience in California has shown that the cherimoya 

 requires cultural treatment similar to that given the citrus 

 fruits. Budded trees should be planted in orchard form about 

 20 to 24 feet apart; seedlings about 30 feet apart, since they 

 grow to larger size. Irrigations, followed by thorough culti- 

 vation of the soil, are given at intervals of two weeks to one 

 month. While the trees are young, more frequent irrigations 

 are necessary. In Argentina, according to H. F. Schultz, it is 

 the custom to irrigate the trees at intervals of six to twelve 

 days. In Mexico two weeks is considered the proper interval. 



In California, stable manure has been used for young trees 

 with excellent results, and occasionally for bearing groves. 

 Little attention has been devoted to the subject ; hence it is not 

 possible to give specific directions for the use of fertilizers. A 

 writer in the Queensland Agricultural Journal recommends that 

 each tree be given annually 1 to 3 pounds of superphosphate, 

 2 to 6 pounds of meat-works manure with blood, and 1 to 2 

 pounds of sulfate of potash. 



The pruning of cherimoyas has received little attention as 

 yet in the United States. In Argentina it is considered that 

 trees which are kept low and compact are both more precocious 

 and longer lived than those which are tall and open in habit. 



