28 



1917 ANNUAL REPORT 



completely filling the cavity. Fruits have been submitted for analysis, but 

 reports have not been received in time for this paper. 



Having had considerable experience in budding citrus nursery stock, 

 I anticipated no difficulty when I decided to propagate from the Sharpless 

 tree. My first experience in avocado nursery w^ork in 1915 was very 

 much like that of the average novice in avocado budding, and I will not 

 bore you with a record of its failures and disappointments, except to say 

 that only about 5 per cent of the buds took. 



I found a great difference of opinion among those whose advice I 

 sought as to what kind of bud to use, some advising me to use buds that 

 were only a tiny, undeveloped knot above the leaf stem, and from that on 

 up to buds in full grov'fh, an inch or more long. By experimenting with 

 all kinds, we were able, by the process of elimination, to learn what type 

 of bud would give the best results. 



This may not apply to other varieties of the avocado, but in buddmg 

 from the Sharpless and the Monroe trees, I get good results by cutting 

 buds from the young, vigorous growth, using plump, full buds that seem 

 almost, but not quite, ready to burst into growth. Last year( 1916), I 

 put 1 800 buds into vigorous field-grown stock of different ages, and when 

 winter came, I estimated that I had a set of 95 per cent. 



Of this 1800 seedlings, 400 were from seed from Florida fruit, 

 which in my inexperience I had bought and planted, thinking such large 

 seed would make fine, thrifty plants. I was not mistaken in this, as they 

 grew rank and fast, and set the buds well, but during the cold spell in 

 December they froze to the ground, being a total loss. 



My nursery was located in the lower corner of my orchard on the 

 north side of a big blue-gum row, which served, I think, to back the frost 

 up and hold it in the nursery. The seedlings from the local, hardy stock 

 were damaged to the extent that the top foliage was more or less browned, 

 but when the spring growth started, I found that a good percentage of the 

 dormant Sharpless buds in the hardy stock had weathered the winter 

 frost and other misfortunes, and with the first warm weather they pushed 

 out into fine, vigorous growth. 



Young two and three-year-old Sharpless trees, 100 yards from the 

 nursery, were untouched by the frost. 



THE WAGNER, LAMBERT AND SURPRISE AVOCADOS 

 By Chas. F. Wagner, Hollywood, Cahf. 



The Wagner avocado is a seedling from the Walker Royal, the 

 seed of which I planted sometime in 1908. In 1913 the tree had 3 

 avocados, and about three dozen in 1914; 440 in 1915, and 190 in 

 1916. The last two years the fruit was mostly picked in April and 

 May. I think they will be four to six weeks later this year. The aver- 

 age weight is about 1 to 12 ounces, but a good many weigh 1 4 to 15 

 ounces. The seed is rather large; the fruit round and of good quality. 

 I kept some of the fruit on the tree until December last year. I think there 

 are about 400 to 500 on the tree now. 



The Lambert is a seedling from a Mexican fruit, planted in 1909. 

 It bore 3 fruits in 1915, and 4 in 1916. This year (191 7) it had 10 

 dozen. The fruit is green and round, and weighs about 1 pound; fleshy 



