FRUITS VARIETIES AND CULTURE. 613 



3. From slips produced by buds just uuder the fruit. 



4. From the crowns at the top of the fruit. 



5. From seeds. 



The suckers, either from the buds above or below the 

 ground, are strong and vigorous. The rattoons are gen- 

 erally left on the parent plant to grow to maturity with- 

 out transplanting. These will usually fruit in about one 

 year. The suckers from the buds above ground are 

 broken off and transplanted. The slips are smaller than 

 the suckers, and are more abundant on the parent plant. 

 These slips are also broken off after the fruit is har- 

 vested, and after they mature, which may be determined 

 by the brown color of the stem at the base, and they are 

 transplanted. Fruit is produced by the slips in about 

 two years. Propagating by slips is the usual method 

 practiced' by the Florida growers, because it is thought 

 that better fruit is produced than that obtained from 

 suckers. The crown is generally shipped with the fruit 

 when it is sent to market, so that this method of propa- 

 gating is seldom adopted. Reproduction by planting the 

 seed is resorted to sometimes when it is desired to de- 

 velop new varieties. 



In planting the soil must be well prepared and cleared 

 of all weeds and trash. The plants are set out in beds 

 18x20, 20x22, or 30x36 inches apart, depending upon the 

 size of the plant. The offsets are prepared by trimming 

 and smoothly paring a few of the lower leaves to encour- 

 age the rapid formation of roots. Plant at least three 

 inches deep in the soil in the case of suckers, and about 

 two inches in the case of slips. July, August and Sep- 

 tember are the months in which the transplanting is 

 done. An acre generally holds about 9,000 plants. 



The fertilizer used is one rich in nitrogen. This may 

 be secured in cottonseed-meal or fish guano, applied at 

 the rate of 1,000 or 1,500 pounds per acre. Florida soft 



