32 The Philippine Jounuil of Science i»i6 



tree in full bearing produces from 40 to 50 fruits during a 

 season. 



Subsequent tappings of the same fruits give a further 

 amount of latex, but the yield in this case is considerably less. 

 The fruits ripen more rapidly after scarification and are injured 

 in appearance, but suffer little if any in flavor. They are not 

 acceptable in the market, but could be utilized in various ways 

 as a by-product where trees are primarily grown for the 

 manufacture of papain. 



PREPARATION OF PAPAYA 



Papaya trees mature rapidly, and suffer little from the 

 attacks of insects or plant diseases. They are generally prop- 

 agated from the seed, which should be planted in boxes filled 

 with rich earth, the seeds being about 2 centimeters apart 

 each way and at a like depth. The plants grow freely, and 

 may be transplanted at the end of three weeks. They should 

 be placed about 3 to 4 meters apart, well watered, and shaded 

 for a time. If a nursery is used, the plants may be set out 

 from 20 to 30 centimeters apart in rows at intervals of 1 meter. 

 The young plants should preferably be transplanted before reach- 

 ing a height of over 30 centimeters. Some of the seedlings 

 will be males, and the majority of these should be replaced by 

 either females or bisexual plants. The trees may be depended 

 ui>on to blossom and produce fruit within a year, but the 

 number and size of the fruits will not reach a maximum until 

 the following season. Tapping may be carried out during the 

 second year and thereafter, until the trees become unprofitable due 

 to age and the decreasing size of the papayas. When the trees 

 become so tall that the latex is diflftcult to gather, the trunk may 

 be cut off at a height of about 1 meter from the ground. Buds 

 will form from the stump and produce new branches, all of 

 which except 2 or 3 should be removed; othenvise, the fruits 

 will be small. It has been reported that these shoots grow 

 readily when planted, and if this is found to be the case it 

 would probably be the best method for propagation. Seeds 

 for planting should be saved only from the best oblong fruits 

 that have never been tapped and have ripened on the tree. 



Papaya trees are injured by water standing around the roots, 

 and flourish best in well-drained localities. Excess water and 

 strong winds are the principal factors causing failure, and 

 situations should be chosen where these conditions will not be 

 encountered. If care is taken in collecting the latex to insure 

 freedom from foreign material and the fresh juice is dried 



