Hunt Institute Archives Text Discovery Platform

Page transcription

5.
with U-shaped areoles resembling finger-prints in wax; forma laevis,
in which the surface is quite smooth; forma tuberculata, with wart-like
tubercles near the apex of each areole; forma mamillata, the name of
which adequately describes it; and forma umbonata, in which the surface
is studded with conical protuberances. This classification is of
interest as showing the range of surface characteristics, but horticulturists
have never paid much attention to it when selecting seedlings for
vegetative propagation. Safford considered that a certain degree of
correlation existed between these forms and flavor and quality of fruit.
It appears that the few named varieties which are grown today in Australia
in California, in Spain and perhaps one or two other regions have
been selected for quality more than any other factor, though size of
fruit, appearance, and most of all productiveness, have sometimes
been given consideration. The fact of the matter is, no well-organized
work of cherimoya improvement has been carried out. Hand-pollination
will increase production but commercially has not been found very satisfactory.

Cherimoyas are easily grown from seeds, which may be kept for a
year if well-dried. In those regions where this fruit has become an
orchard crop, seedling trees which were considered superior have been
propagated vegetatively. This has usually been done on rootstocks of
the same species, though it is thought in tropical America that
Annona reticulata might be preferable in some places because of its
resistance to drought and poor soils. Seedlings to be budded should
be 1 to 1.5 cms. in diameter at the base, and buds should be cut larger
than for citrus.

The development of veneer (sometimes called side-veneer) grafting
has brought about a revolution in the propagation of many tropical
fruit trees. In Florida and in tropical America veneer grafting has