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Pomona College Journal of Economic Botany 



Inarching may be practiced advantageously upon seedlings in pots, by plac- 

 ing them upon a platform erected around the tree it is desired to perpetuate. A 

 branch of the tree of about the same diameter as the stem of the seedling should 

 be chosen, and a thin slice of bark, taking as little of the wood under it as possible, 

 removed from both the stock and scion. The two cut surfaces should then be 

 bound together with raffia or other soft tying material. After two months have 

 elapsed, the scion may be gradually severed from its parent by cutting away a 

 little of the wood just below the j)oint of union, every few days. Care should be 

 taken that the union is not severed too suddenly — it should be a month or two be- 

 fore it is entirely severed. The stock may then be trimmed down close to the 

 union, and the j)lant is ready to set out. 



Climatic Requirements of the Feijoa 

 At this date it is impossible to make a completely definite statement as to the 

 different climatic conditions imder which tlie Feijoa will thrive. The meagre data 

 that is obtainable regarding its behavior in tropical countries is not sufficient by 

 any means to prove that it will be a failure under such conditions as obtain within 

 the tropics; still, there is no doubt but that a climate like that of Southern Cali- 

 fornia is more eminently suited to it. Dr. Andre remarked that the native home 

 of the Feijoa was the region of Cocos auxtralis, which sufficiently indicated the 

 climate in which it would thrive. It is, then, distinctly sub-tropical in nature, and 

 can be exjiected to do well in localities whose climatic conditions closely approxi- 

 mate those of Uruguay and southern Brazil. Furthermore, the fact that it is a 

 success in the Mediterranean basin shows that it is considerably hardier than the 

 majority of subtropical plants which are in cultivation, and will thrive in locali- 

 ties where the avocado and other fruits more strictly tropical in nature can not be 

 grown. 



Whether it is ada])ted to desert regions such as the Colorado and Imperial 

 valleys cannot be stated at this time, but the fact that it does well at Redlands indi- 

 cates that it will tolerate a considerable amount of heat. 



The Pacific Coast is pre-eminently adapted to the Feijoa — its successful culti- 

 vation at many points from San Diego north to the state of Oregon prove this 

 beyond the possibility of a doubt. And the fact that it has withstood without 

 injury temperatures of ten degrees above zero warrants the belief that it will be a 

 success in the milder portions of the Gulf States. 



Culture 



While the Feijoa cannot be said to be particular in its cultural requirements, 

 yet best results in both growth and fruit can only be obtained by giving careful 

 attention to the needs of the plant and supplying them in as great a degree as 

 possible. 



In California the Feijoa has been successfully grown in soils of at least two 

 kinds — sandy loam and heavy clay or adobe. And while it has succeeded in both, 

 there is little doubt but that the lighter soil is the best. And it is of paramount im- 

 portance that the soil contain an abundance of humus. Alfred Rivier of Marseilles, 

 one of the most successful French growers, believes many failures in that country 



