Pomona College Journal of Economic Botany 



11 



good wax is made by boiling together two pounds beeswax, two pounds 

 rosin, and half a pound of good lard ; when in boiling state put in the rolls 

 of cloth and let them remain for fifteen minutes, when they are taken out 

 and cooled before being stored away. The iron wire is more desirable than 

 sticks of wood, as the weight of the wire will keep the roll below the surface 

 of the boiling mass. Another advantage in using the wire is that if the 

 sticks are not quite dry the water, as it is converted into steam, will cause 

 the contents to boil over." 



Inarching has never been practiced in California, but J. L. Hickson, of 

 Miami, Florida, a large and successful grower of the avocado, states that 

 he propagates entirely by this method, as he considers it produces a stronger 

 and better growth than budding. However this may be. the method is 

 slow and laborious, and trees cannot be produced in sufficient quantities to 

 make it commercially practicable here. 



Grafting has been performed successfully in a few instances, but ha? 

 not been attempted to any great extent as yet. 



Cuttings have been very successfully rooted by being placed in clear sand 

 in a lath house, but it is doubtful if this method of propagation produces as 

 strong a plant as the others. 



ORCHARD PLANTINGS 



It is only within the last year or two that orchard plantings of the avocado 

 have been made in Southern California, and then only in very small acreages, 

 but the next few years will see the territory devoted to the culture of this 

 fruit on a commercial scale greatly increased. 



The trees may be planted at the same distance apart as orange trees, or if 

 space is available at a somewhat greater distance. Budding seems to dwarf 

 the tree, and budded trees will require much less room than seedlings. In 

 either event the trees should not be allowed to grow to an unlimited size 

 but should be pruned like deciduous fruits, allowing only the strongest 

 branches to develop and form the head of the tree, and all weak and un- 

 desirable growths cut out each year. The top should be kept cut back to 

 facilitate picking the fruit, and not allowed to grow to an unlimited height 

 as has been done with all the seedlings grown here. 



Transplanting should be done in early spring, before the trees have started 

 into new growth. 



During the first year or two of its growth, the tree is more tender than 

 when larger, and in locations subject to heavy frosts should be protected 

 during the winter by some covering. Palm leaves are used for this purpose 

 if they can be obtained in sufficient quantities, or a frame can be constructed 

 of lath and covered with burlap or cheesecloth. The danger from frost, 

 however, lies not so much in the possibility of injury to the trees themselves, 

 as in the destruction of the crop through freezing of blossoms of early flower- 

 ing varieties. To avoid this, late blooming varieties may be planted, such 

 as those of the Guatemalan type, which bloom so late in the spring as 

 practically to eliminate all danger from this source. It is only occasionally 



