fertilizer with the growers of the Orient. Some growers prefer to put 
the manure on as a top-dressing and cover it with a heavy mulch 
because of the tendency of the litchi to form surface roots. No 
experiments with chemical fertilizers have been reported. 
Considerable difference of opinion appears to exist with regard to 
pruning, some growers stating that no pruning should be practiced, 
others insisting that the breaking off of the ends of old branches is 
beneficial. The customary maimer of gathering the fruit, by break- 
ing with it branches 10 to 12 inches long, provides in itself a form of 
pruning which some growers insist is necessary for the continued 
productivity of the tree, but here also there is much need for more 
exact data. 
The trees should be planted at least 30 feet apart, and under good 
conditions they will require even more space before they have 
attained full size. Opinions differ as to the value of shade, but 
young trees in a country of clear skies doubtless will benefit by some 
protection from direct sunlight. It is important that the plantings 
be protected from heavy winds at all times, but particularly during 
the flowering season. For this purpose a sheltered spot should be 
chosen as a site for the plantings, or windbreaks should be provided 
in a region where strong winds prevail. 
PROPAGATION. 
SEEDS. 
The litchi reproduces readily by seeds, this being the simplest 
method of reproduction, since most of the varieties of this fruit pro- 
duce viable seeds which germinate quickly. In experiments con- 
ducted at this station it has been found that some seeds will begin 
to germinate within three days after planting. 
Preservation. — The seeds are extremely short lived, retaining their 
viability not more than four or five days under ordinary conditions. 
Experiments to determine the longevity of these seeds under different 
conditions were carried on during the summer of 1915. In Honolulu 
in June, 1915, seeds exposed to the air under normal humidity con- 
ditions began to shrivel in less than 24 hours, and the percentage of 
germination fell rapidly as the period of exposure was prolonged 
two, three, four, and five days. After the fifth day practically all 
seeds were dead. In dry charcoal or similar dry material the loss of 
moisture and consequent loss of viability proceeds almost as rapidly 
as in the air. Seeds so kept for one week entirely failed to germinate. 
It therefore appears that to preserve the germinability of litchi 
seeds it is necessary to prevent in some way the loss of moisture. In 
the fruit the seed is protected to a considerable degree, but in a dry 
atmosphere the rapid drying of the aril causes, after a few weeks, a 
marked loss of viability, varying with atmospheric conditions. 
