THE PAPAYA AND ITS RELATIVES 233 



Mature plants should be irrigated liberally unless rainfall is 

 abundant. Since they are gross feeders, stable manure or 

 commercial fertilizers should be supplied liberally. This is 

 particularly true of plants which are grown on the sandy lands of 

 southeastern Florida. Organic nitrogen is especially desirable. 



Propagation. 



The papaya is usually propagated by seeds, which in Florida 

 should be sown as early in the year as possible, preferably in 

 January, in order to have the plants in bearing by the follow- 

 ing winter. If seeds are washed and dried after removal from 

 the fruit, and stored in glass bottles, they will retain their 

 viability for several years. Higgins and Holt say : 



"It is best to plant the seeds in a well-drained, porous soil 

 in flats or boxes, covering them about half an inch deep. In 

 from two to six weeks the seedlings should appear, germina- 

 tion being hastened by heat. In the open in cool weather the 

 time will not be less than a month, but in a warm greenhouse 

 it may be shortened to two weeks. In about a month after 

 germination the seedlings should be large enough to be trans- 

 ferred to pots, in which they should remain for another month 

 before being placed in the orchard or garden." 



Wester advocates planting in seed-beds and transferring 

 the young seedlings directly into the open ground. He writes : 



" The seed-bed should be prepared by thoroughly pulverizing 

 the soil by spading or hoeing the ground well, and the clearing 

 away of all weeds and trash. Sow the seed thinly, about 1 to 

 2 centimeters apart, and cover the seed not more than 1 centi- 

 meter with soil, then water the bed thoroughly. In the dry 

 season it is well to make the seed-bed where it is shaded from 

 the hot midday rays of the sun, under a tree ; or it may be 

 shaded by the erection of a small bamboo frame on the top of 

 which is placed grass or palm leaves. If the seed is planted 

 during the rainy season a shed of palm leaves should always 



