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1916 ANNUAL REPORT 



several different varieties, any one of which may be used ten years later 

 as the permanent trees. Either plan suggested would permit of using 

 four different varieties and yet when the fillers are removed leaving a 

 uniform solid orchard of one good variety. If, for instance, after ten 

 years, it was found that the variety used as the first fillers (1) had proven 

 to be the best sort in the orchard, these could be left to form the per- 

 manent orchard. In view of the impossibility of judging at the present 

 time which varieties are likely to prove the most satisfactory, some such 

 system of planting may prove helpful. 



GROWING AN AVOCADO TREE 

 F. O. Popenoe, President, West India Gardens, Altadena, Cal. 



The germination of an avocado seed and the growing of a fine young 

 seedling tree from it is such a simple, easy and interesting process that 

 it has seemed the subsequent steps necessary to produce a budded tree 

 must be equally simple. This, perhaps, is one reason for many of the 

 efforts among amateurs to propagate budded stock for their own use. 



And lured by the seemingly high price of trees, nearly all of the 

 nurserymen of Southern California have, during the past five years, also 

 undertaken to propagate the avocado. Not only have practically all of 

 the amateurs failed, but now many of the nurserymen have retired from 

 the field, leaving the work to a few who have devoted their entire time 

 and much study to the business, and who, through such larger experience, 

 have acquired a sufficient knowledge to enable them to go ahead. 



Propagating the avocado is a work for the specialist. The many dis- 

 appointments and the costly failures of the intelligent amateurs and the 

 most skilful nurserymen referred to, fully confirm this. A history of avo- 

 cado budding in California, including all efforts, would possibly reveal a 

 ten per cent success. This seems a startling statement but with positive 

 knowledge of numerous instances where nursery rows of seeding stocks 

 reveal from four to seven scars on each tree, showing that many re- 

 peated efforts, and then only an occasional budded tree in a row as the 

 result, I believe this statement of a ten per cent success for first bud 

 insertions is ample. Moreover, the successes are largely based upon the 

 use of buds from strong growing, easily worked varieties such as Harman, 

 while the propagation of the more difficult Lyon and Sharpless may be 

 said to be a practical impossibility for the beginner. 



I do not hesitate to say, therefore, that the amateur, unless he has 

 rare and exceptional skill, will only meet with discouragement and fail- 

 ure in his efforts along this line. Knowledge to be gained by experi- 

 ence, of the necessary conditions of buds, (which varies greatly with the 

 different varieties), the method of budding and the details of subsequent 

 treatment, are all so vital that one lacking a considerable experience may 

 well take this warning and leave the field open to those who have earned 

 a more enlightened understanding through having traveled the long and 

 costly road leading to a fairly successful effort. 



So costly has been the work on account of the difficulties referred to 

 and the many failures in consequence thereof, that I believe it is entirely 



