THE LOQUAT AND ITS RELATIVES 259 



loquat is more drought-resistant than any of the citrus fruits, 

 but that the best results are obtained when the orchard is 

 irrigated as liberally as the citrus orchard. In California there 

 is usually abundant rainfall at the time the fruits are approach- 

 ing maturity ; in other regions, or in California if the season is 

 abnormally dry, it may be desirable to supply water at this 

 time, since the fruits only develop to large size when there is 

 abundant moisture in the soil. In southern France the tree is 

 said not to do well en soils which are over-moist in winter. 



The young tree should be headed 24 to 30 inches above the 

 ground, and three to five main branches forced to develop. 

 The loquat is a compact grower, and the mature tree requires 

 much less pruning than most of the temperate-zone fruits. 

 It has been found by C. P. Taft, however, that a certain number 

 of branches must be cut out from time to time, in order to limit 

 the amount of fruiting wood and to admit light to the center of 

 the tree. It must be remembered that the tendency of the 

 loquat is to overbear, and for the production of commercially 

 valuable fruit this must be checked by pruning and thinning. 

 The best time for pruning is soon after the crop has been har- 

 vested. 



Propagation. 



In many countries it is still the custom to propagate the 

 loquat by seed, but in regions where the commercial cultivation 

 of this fruit has received serious attention, this method has 

 been replaced by budding and grafting. Seedling loquats 

 are no more dependable than seedlings of other tree-fruits. As 

 ornamental trees for parks and dooryards they can be rec- 

 ommended, but they will not serve when commercially market- 

 able fruit is required. 



Choice named varieties are budded or grafted on seedling 

 loquat stocks or on the quince. Other plants have been used 

 as stock-plants, but have not proved altogether satisfactory. 





