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6.

proved to be more reliable than shield-budding. This has been true of avocados, mangoes, and several other fruit trees, including the annonas. Though shield budding may continue to be preferred in some regions, for some fruits, veneer grafting is gaining ground and should be borne in mind.

Almost any well drained soil of good structure is satisfactory for cherimoyas, but it is generally believed that a high lime content is unfavorable. Still more important, however, is perfect drainage. Too much irrigation on soils retentive of moisture is dangerous. Sandy loams are to be preferred for this reason.

Trees should be spaced 8 m. apart, even 10 if on good soil. Very little pruning is required, beyond the elimination of the small branchlets which die off. It has been observed in a few instances that trees which are severely pruned produce more fruit in succeeding years, but pruning for fruit is not an established practice.

There is little information available regarding fertilizer programs suitable for this tree. In most parts of tropical America where cherimoyas are grown, they are dooryard trees which receive no cultural attention. In a few regions such as the labores in Atlixco, state of Puebla, Mexico, where cherimoyas are cultivated in mixed plantings with citrus and avocados, they receive the same treatment as these do, which includes irrigation on a regular cycle. In the valley of Almuñecar, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, there are probably more acres planted to cherimoyas than in any region of similar size in all the world. Since climatic conditions in Almuñecar favor the production of large crops of fruit, not only are the orchards irrigated, but the surface is kept free of weeds in good tilth at all times.

Cherimoya trees are not commonly attacked by serious pests, either insects or diseases, but this is unfortunately not true of the fruits. In many countries it is rare to find a cherimoya in the market which