CITRUS CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA — POLLINATION. 25 



stigma assumes its normal state, and care must be exercised 

 not to miss the moment of blooming in the pistil. 



Varieties of the orange are innumerable, and have of late 

 years been imported from all over the globe. While many of 

 these possess good qualities, the majority lack the most 

 essential characteristics to be worthy of culture for profit. 

 Attempts to improve upon the varieties now fruiting have 

 been made by cross-pollination, but without results of much 

 value, although numerous varieties possessed of some merit 

 have been thus originated. The best results have been 

 through Dame Nature, and chance seedlings of high merit 

 have been produced without the aid of man. But while some 

 of these imported sorts and home-grown seedlings have been 

 planted quite largely throughout the State, the fruit, being 

 devoid of special characteristics through which their qualities 

 could be known to the trade and distinguished from the 

 ordinary common seedling, often sell for no more, if as much. 



The only variety produced by what may be termed a peculiar 

 method of propagation is an exceptionally fine type of Navel 

 by A. C. Thompson, of Duarte. The process, which is men- 

 tioned by ancient writers upon agriculture, was first applied 

 in this State by Mr. Thompson, and was performed by a close 

 intermarriage of the wood of several varieties, which, by growing 

 together, resulted in a combination of the characteristics of 

 the various factors. The secret of the operation lies in the 

 matching of two half-buds of the same size and of different 

 sorts. 



The process Mr. Thompson describes as follows: "The bud 

 is composed of two half-buds of the same size put together and 

 inserted as one, waxed over, after being concaved to fit the 

 convex side of the stock, and concaved a little also in the split 

 so as to bring both edges of the germ together closely. This 

 has to be done of course with a very thin, sharp knife. Now 

 say, for instance, that one of the half-buds is a Washington 

 Navel and the other half a St. Michael. These grow together 

 and form one shoot. From this shoot next season take buds, 

 and from Malta Blood take buds of equal size and maturity; 

 split and unite these halves as one bud, fit them well and 

 neatly together, wax over lightly, and cover with a wax 

 wrapper; string will not do, as the buds would dry out. Next 

 season again take these buds from this new growth and halve 



