THE NURSERY 17 



Transplanting- to the nursery should be done when the seedlings are 

 6 inches to a foot high. After this time the taproot (see fig. I,/ 1 ) 

 will have formed and the transplanting will disturb this and prevent 

 it from growing to the large size that it would attain if the seedling 

 were not removed. 



For transplanting, rain}^ weather should be chosen; otherwise much 

 watering will be necessary or many trees will be lost. From the 

 nurseryman's point of view the planting„in a seed bed seems unneces- 

 sary, but seeds planted in a nursery produce trees with large taproots 

 and few fibrous roots; this is especially the case on land that is more 

 or less sandy. 



In the nursery the rows should be from 4 to 6 feet apart and the- 

 trees set about a foot apart in the row. By thorough cultivation and 

 generous fertilizing an abundance of fibrous roots will be produced, 

 and if the nursery is located on moist land most of the trees will pro- 

 duce many branched roots and very few large roots. 



CULTIVATION IN THE NURSERY. 



After planting in the nursery, cultivation should be thorough and 

 frequent. The implements should not be permitted to go deeply into 

 the soil if it is sandy, but in marl or heavy lands cultivation should be 

 as deep as is practicable. 



There have been many and varying reports regarding the possibility 

 of budding and grafting the avocado. A few years ago it was thought 

 impossible to bud it at all. More recently statements have been 

 made that 90 to 100 per cent of the buds had "taken." These reports 

 when investigated have been only partially verified, since a large per- 

 centage of the buds that take fail to develop. In the avocado there 

 seems to be no difficulty in making the buds take, but there is con 

 siderable difficulty in making them start. The buds placed in a vigor- 

 ous stock are frequently grown over, thus obliterating the bud. Or 

 again, the stock on being lopped to induce the bud to start often dies 

 back to below the bud. Experience indicates that budding at or near 

 the crown is preferable to top- working. 



The difficulty is not with budding but with the want of experience 

 up to the present time. The nurserymen do not fully understand the 

 time and manner best suited for budding their stock. Some buds 

 respond promptly, while others are very dilatory about starting and 

 may finally fail. 



Shield buds (fig. 2y inserted in the spring when the bark slips well 

 and before the first flush, usually take well and make an excellent 

 growth. It is very important in the work of budding that the stock 

 and scion be in as perfect condition as possible. (See figs. 3 and 4.) 

 29619— No. 61—04 2 



