80 



1917 ANNUAL REPORT 



them to the nursery row. Just why one should go to the expense of start- 

 ing them in a pot is something I could not quite understand. 



Some trees have a tight bark that will scarcely ever take a bud, and 

 I got hold of a bunch of local seeds of this character and fattened the bud 

 seller for quite a while before I got next to it. We will learn that it is 

 not all in the bud, but there is a lot of our troubles in the character of 

 the tree, and this will help us a lot in selecting our seeds. I saw a bunch 

 of big, fat, Tahiti seeds and bought some of them. It seemed to me that 

 they froze before the thermometer got to 32. At any rate, if all are like 

 the ones I got they will not do for this country. I helped to replenish 

 the gold reserve of the bud seller with my nursery for three years and 

 then gave the proposition away to a fellow for nothing. Up to date he 

 has not brought an action against me for damages but I feel rather guilty 

 every time I meet him. 



I have observed many failures among the growers, and most of them 

 are due to a lack of care. If one plans to raise avocado trees among 

 orange trees and depends on their growing by watering them with the regu- 

 lar run, he will find that they will not do well. Avocados should be 

 watered at least every two weeks, and with small trees, oftener is better. 

 Much depends on the character of the soil. They will stand a mighty 

 lot of hardship and still hang on, but they will do no good. The trunk 

 of the tree should always be protected from the hot sun until it grows its 

 own shade. I had very poor success heading out trees too high. As they 

 grow, I have found that one can prune off the lower limbs, but the avo- 

 cado is a tree that winds and twists more or less, and it is hard to train 

 certain varieties and get them to make a good looking tree. 



I bought trees that had been budded on two and possibly three- 

 year-old rootstocks. This had been accomplished by sawing off the trunk 

 at the ground and allowing a sprout to grow up, placing the bud m that. 

 When balled, this stump is hid, and you think you are getting a fine tree, 

 only to learn later that it does not grow. You can figure on the loss of 

 about a half year's growth or more on trees of this character, no matter 

 how much care you give them. The second year, they will take hold cuid 

 grow, but I find it does not pay to plant that sort of a tree. 



There is much to learn about what buds will grow on a bud-stick. 

 Many of you learned this in the good old days when you bought high- 

 priced ones, and the seller counted in the weak buds. The bud seller in 

 many instances did not know this and of course did not mean to sell 

 worthless buds. There are certain kinks in every variety, and the only 

 way you can learn this is by actual experience. I have found that the 

 early spring budding is the best. Others claim different times, but at the 

 best I have met with numerous failures in certain kinds, and I find I am 

 not alone in this. Some buds will take hold and give great hopes, only 

 to disappoint one later. I nursed a Murrieta for two years, and at the 

 end of that time it was not over 2 inches larger than it was when I planted 

 it. I have some Royals that grew fine last year and this spring they look 

 like a picked chicken. 



Where budded trees are to be rebudded, in many cases I think it 

 will be advisable to get back to the seedling stock, in preference to budding 

 on the budded tree. This can be accomplished by stubbing back the tree 



