PAPAYA CULTURE IN HAWAII 
23 
parison with seedlings. It was further observed that papaya plants 
which were propagated vegetatively failed to reproduce varietal 
fruit characters, such as size, shape, texture, and flavor, like those of 
the parent plants from which the cuttings and scions were taken. 
Some of them proved to be as variable as seedlings. Various 
methods of propagation, like planting, may be accomplished at al- 
most any time of the year in Hawaii. The several forms of vegeta- 
tive propagation do l>est in the cooler months while germinating 
seeds and young 
seedlings possibly 
develop 
spring. 
best in 
SEEDS 
In the successful 
cultivation of the 
papaya, a quick and 
uniform germina- 
tion of a large per- 
centage of the seeds 
planted is impor- 
tant. To accom- 
plish this, special 
attention is re- 
quired, such as is 
often employed in 
the development of 
seedlings of many 
other kinds of culti- 
vated plants. Seeds 
of mature fruit 
when washed, dried, 
and stored in well- 
capped glass jars 
will retain their vi- 
tality for several 
years. For conven- 
ience in this work at 
the station, the ger- 
minating flat was 
used. It consisted 
of a shallow box having either spaces between the bottom boards 
or small holes bored in them to provide for drainage. Such a 
flat should be about 14 inches wide and 18 inches long and 3 to 
5 inches deep. A 2%-inch layer of rich, light, preferably ster- 
ilized, soil that had been run through a sieve, was then placed 
in the flat. This soil was leveled and firmed, and the seeds were 
sown upon it about one-half inch apart. They were then cov- 
ered with a one-half inch layer of washed coral sand. Given a 
suitable medium of temperature 4 and moisture, papaya seeds ger- 
minate in 10 to 15 day-. The coral sand permits the air to cir- 
< irk 'SA. — Among long-fruited papayas occasionally occurs 
a slightly different strain locally called the " cucumber 
papaya " and possessing a very small cavity 
* Th<- average summer temperatures (July) at the station are about 79° F. during the 
day and 7o° at night. January temperatures average about 7° lower. 
