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HOTEL AVILA
2
CARACAS
VENEZUELA

CARTER L. GARDNER
MANAGER
What progress have we made in the use of vegetative propagation, in
the establishment and propagation of superior chance seedlings (and of
course the varieties produced by the plant breeders); in improved cul-
tural practices; and so on. I would like to discuss some of these points
in relation to those tropical fruits which seem to be the most important
or the most interesting at the present day and remember that when I
say "we have done this or that" I am talking about all those horticul-
turists, from way back yonder down to the present time, who have devoted
themselves to the improvement of tropical fruit culture.

Bananas. The last 35 to 40 years, with the exception of the early
work in Jamaica, where intensive methods were more essential, have seen
the banana brought out of the jungle and put on the farm. It probably
began here in Central America, with soil surveys and the elimination of
unsatisfactory lands - this was a tremendous step. Then investigation
of drainage, since many areas of good soils required drainage before
they could be used. Then investigation of propagating material, taking
into account economic factors as well as others. Then the optimum number
of "mother" plants per acre or per hectare. Then pruning, or the
elimination of surplus suckers or plants within the clump. Then
irrigation and fertilization where economically profitable. And then
control of pests and diseases, with which problems banana growers
seem to be struggling more and more as the years go by.

And before I continue, let me add that I am not going to say much
about Citrus fruits, for one reason, greatest developments have not been
so much in the real tropics as in the subtropics, and for another reason
I don't know too much about them. But we have gained some ground, by
getting people to realize that the Navel orange is more productive and
attains its best quality in the pure tropics when planted not much below
3000 feet above sea level; and we are getting interested in utilizing
other than the sour orange as roots for our commercial varieties.

Pineapples. As far as concerns us here in the Caribbean region
I cannot see that things have changed very much in recent years.