296 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



mulch around them to prevent evaporation. In California 

 it is customary to form a basin around each plant; after the 

 mulch is added there is still room for water, of which one or 

 two buckets should be given weekly during the dry season. 

 After the plants reach fruiting age, they should be irrigated 

 every two or three weeks. When a mulch is not used, the 

 ground should be cultivated after each irrigation. 



The amount of manure which can be used advantageously 

 has not been determined. It has been the general practice 

 in California to give the young plants an abundance of stable 

 manure, and the effect of this seems to be highly beneficial. 

 There has been a suspicion that large amounts of manure, if 

 applied to bearing plants, would decrease the production of 

 fruit, but the evidence is not convincing. Lack of pollination 

 is probably the cause of many crop failures which are attributed 

 to excessive soil fertilization. 



Plants of the compact low-growing type require almost no 

 pruning. Those of tall straggling form often need cutting 

 back in order to keep the branches from developing to such 

 great length that they cannot support their own weight. 



Seedling feijoas do not reproduce the parent variety and are 

 less satisfactory than plants propagated by some vegetative 

 means. Layering is used in France. In the United States 

 many plants have been grown from cuttings, and not a few by 

 whip-grafting. 



When seedlings are grown, they should be from plants which 

 produce good fruits in abundance. If kept dry, feijoa seeds 

 will retain their viability a year or more. One of the best 

 mediums for germinating them is a mixture of silver-sand and 

 well-rotted redwood sawdust. They are small and delicate, 

 and should not be planted in heavy soil. A light sandy loam, 

 containing much humus, is satisfactory. The seeds should 

 be sown in pans or flats, covering to the depth of J inch. Ger- 

 mination usually takes place within three weeks. A glass- 



