262 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



growers in California is to clip out the ends of the fruit-clusters 

 with a pair of thinning-shears : this should be done as soon 

 as the young fruits have formed. Where choice varieties are 

 grown, and where birds and insects are troublesome, it has been 

 profitable, in a small way, to protect the fruit by inclosing each 

 cluster in a cloth or paper bag. The Japanese, who practice 

 bagging in connection with the production of fancy loquats, 

 find that it results in larger fruit and a greater degree of uni- 

 formity in ripening. 



The season during which loquats are marketed in California 

 extends from the latter part of February to June. A given 

 variety may ripen several weeks earlier in one locality than in 

 another. In Florida the season is considerably earlier than in 

 California. The fruits should be left on the tree until they are 

 fully ripe, unless it is desired to use them for jelly or for cooking. 

 Unripe the loquat is decidedly acid, whereas the fully ripe fruit 

 is sweet and delicious. Clippers such as are used by orange- 

 pickers are employed in gathering the fruit. Sometimes whole 

 clusters can be picked, and again it may be necessary to clip 

 off two or three ripe fruits and leave the remaining ones to 

 mature. 



The fruit is sorted and graded by hand. For shipping to 

 near-by markets it is packed in thirty-pound wooden boxes 

 ("lug boxes") without the use of excelsior, straw, or other soft 

 material to prevent bruising. For distant markets smaller 

 packages and considerable care will be required, since the fruit 

 is bruised rather easily. 



Pests and diseases. 



The principal enemies of the loquat in California are pear- 

 blight (Bacillus amylovorus Trev.) and loquat-scab (Fusi- 

 cladium dendriticum var. eriobotryce Scalia). Condit says of 

 the former : " The pear blight is a serious enemy of the loquat 

 at times, blossom blight often being especially abundant on 



