THE CUBA REVIEW 



29 



'he- Atriiacatr. a \alualile native fniit. known also as avocado and alligator pear (see article 

 on this next page). Immense quantities of this fruit are handled through the Havana markets 

 in the season, which is July and August. The fruit is picked green and can be shipped to ad- 

 vantage if directions are followed. Tt is a salad fruit and the demand is rapidly growing. 



attempted in localities of high winds unless 

 it is possible to provide protection by 

 windbreaks. 



One characteristic in soil is demanded — 

 good drainage. The tree is very impatient 

 of standing water about its roots. Soil 

 that is underlain by an impervious layer 

 should not be chosen for the orchard. Re- 

 garding propagation from the seed, it is 

 a well-known fact that this is a wholly 

 unreliable means of reproducing the variety. 

 It is a very common experience to plant 

 seeds of a green-colored fruit and get 

 the purple fruit in progeny, or to plant 

 the seeds from a fruit of excellent texture 

 and get a progeny full of fiber. Other 

 characteristics, such as flavor, are repro- 

 duced with equal uncertainty. 



Budding is therefore recommended as 

 the most practical method of propagation. 

 The method of budding usually followed 

 is that known as shield-budding with the 

 "T" incision or an inverted "T," and the 

 investigations which have been involved in 

 making this successful have consisted 

 largely in devising adaptions to overcome 

 difficulties. On vigorous stock, budded near 

 the ground, from 75 per cent to 90 per cent 

 will grow. Great difficulty, however, has 

 been experienced in getting tne buds to grow. 



It is a well-established practice to lop 

 citrus stock and many other kinds of fruit 



trees a few inches above the bud after the 

 latter has united, thus forcing the sap into 

 the new bud. Lapping the young avocado 

 is very difficult and sometimes iinpossible. 

 If cut part way off the brittle tissue breaks 

 completely. This is likely to be followed 

 by a dying back of the stock and the killing 

 of the bud before it has developed into 

 leaves. To force bud into growth a process 

 of incomplete girdling has been adopted. 

 A portion of the bark, about one-half to 

 three-quarters of an inch wide, is removed 

 a few inches above the bud throughout the 

 circumference of the stock, with the ex- 

 ception of about a quarter of an inch or 

 less on the side opposite the bud. This 

 conveys a portion of the sap upward and 

 forces a large part of it into the bud. 

 When the bud has opened, the stock may 

 be cut off where girdled. Cutting back 

 close to the bud should not be done until 

 the latter has made a growth of several 

 inches. When cut, the wounded surface 

 should be carefully covered with grafting 

 wax, or some antiseptic medium, which 

 will keep out the air and rain. 



As to the time for budding, it may be 

 said that we have budded successfully in 

 every month of the year, but prefer the 

 winter months or early spring. — Bulletin 

 No. 25, Hawaii Agricultural Experiment 

 Station. 



