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Subtropical Fruits
A Department of Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture
BY F. W. POPENOE
Notes on the propagation and culture of plants and trees coming within the scope of this department will be welcomed, and inquiries are invited.
THE POMEGRANATE.
PLANO (Cal.) (Editor Subtropical Department) I am interested in the article in your paper entitled "A neglected opportunity." That title alone has suggested to me most where it suited that the pomegranate could be used for preparing a cooling drink. Please inform me how to obtain the pomegranate, and whether the juice of this fruit can be preserved and used for preparing a cooling drink.
The answering of these questions and any other information you may give me will be much appreciated by a constant reader of your paper who fails to gain in popularity for its wide growth in California, it is certainly a valuable addition to our Subtropical Fruits, its ornamental flowers, and its resistance to cold, heat, and alkali. The ordinary varieties, however, are so full of seeds as to be difficult to eat. Mr. H. H. Berry in his book "Fruit Recipes" recommends the use of the pomegranate stew, when the seeds can be removed without difficulty. Many people utilize the juice.
POMEGRANATE ICE—Cut a dozen ripe pomegranates in half and remove the seeds. Add one pint of water, strain again and freeze.
POMEGRANATE SYRUP—Press and boil the juice until thick, when add sugar. The syrup is excellent for cooling in fevers and the syrup makes a delicious drink. It is in this form that the fruit is sold in the Orient, the Arabs' pomegranate shrub being one of the things for which Baghdad is famous.
POMEGRANATE JELLY—Use the fact that the pomegranate overripe and proceed as for other such preparations. The jelly resulting is particularly fine.
Pomegranate wine may be made with the juice of ripe pomegranates, seeds removed, served cooked, or fresh with flavoring of lemon, orange, or coconut and sugar.
ABOUT THE AHUACATE, MANGO AND CHERIMOYA.
GLENDALE, (Cal.) (Editor Subtropical Department) I have just heard about the "Ahuacate" possibilities of which as a staple food, I have long been in favor. It is grown in large quantities in Mexico where the ahuacate shrub, tall and spreading, is a common sight. It possesses many possibilities as a food crop, and I have been very much interested in the discussion of the various names, and am anxious to know if anyone interested in the fruit, can give me the meaning of the word. I have always seen it written "ahuacate" and took it for granted that the "a" meant "water."
Can you tell anything of the mango culture? Has it been tried here, and if so with what success?
There are so many varieties of the mango, that often only one variety succeeds in a certain place, and it is well worth while to try them again, while an under-ripe mango is an unpleasant as an over-ripe one.
The fact that the cherimoya, at first glance, looks like a small green and packed in straw to prevent injury during the shipping question, are truly yours,
JULIA B. CUMMINGS
The Ahuacate, or Avocado, is from the Aztec "Ahuacatli," a proper name, having nothing to do with the word "water." It was first cultivated in Mexico, but seems later to have been con- fused with the "ahuacate" or "agua" of the Aztecs, the meaning of the word in Mexico is now "aguanilla."
Several varieties of mango have been successfully grown and fruited in Southern California, and some of the hardy varieties of this fruit, and up to date, should be propagated in many localities here. This work is gradually being undertaken, and the future will see many commercial orchards of the mango bringing a rich reward to their Southern California owners.
THE FREEZE.
The unprecedented freeze which Southern California experienced early in January made some changes in the horticultural map. Some surprises were encountered, and the practical gardener is properly used the results in his stock. Those who lost their stock this will not seem of much comfort just now perhaps, but while we all feel hard hit, there is no use to make too loud a complaint. A frost that occurs only once in fifty years.
The avocado makes a vigorous growth after a severe frost, especially does it grow rapidly in the spring. The plant is a succulent, tender growth which, while not especially easily damaged, was injured by the low temperature recently reached, but the damage is not serious. It is safe to say that more than one-half the budded stock was killed outright, and many trees 10 years old, or older, went through better than they have ever done before. The result, so far as the avocado is concerned, shows this valuable fruit to be a good one for the state and thus a better commercial culture in the future. An especially important point to note is that the buds practically never freeze.
The same is true of the macadamia ternifolia, in two-year-old trees withstood a temperature of 13 degrees, which is the lowest ever believed before. It is believed to have been done to the Natal plum, Carissa grandiflora, the white sapote, Casimaroa edulis, found its leaves being injured in the freezes, but the wood sustained no injury.
So far as the papaya is concerned, it is believed that the trees propagated here and those being experimented with were frost proof.
The kudzu sustained no damage.
THE KUDZU VINE.
San Jose Cal.
[Editor Subtropical Department of the Western Empire.] Can you give a number of interested readers any information regarding the Kudzu vine as a forage plant in California? It seems to be making a good record in the South, and I have heard of C. V. Piper of the Plant Bureau of Forage Investigations, Washington, asking for information regarding its value. Would like to learn of any experiments being made.
As an attractive and rapid growing ornamental (known as "Jack and Jill" in Japan), it is well worth planting by many as a hardy perennial.
Yours,
J. L. L.
The Kudzu vine, Pueraria Thunbergiana, which is remarkable for the quantity of food it yields, has been grown in California for some time. It is a native of Japan and China. It is a climbing plant, and is desirable for the purpose stated. But we know of no one having been successful in growing this forage plant. The leaves are flashy and yield starch of excellent quality. The bark of the inner bark is manufactured into a sort of cloth in Japan and China. It is a very useful plant, and is un- suitably well suited to California conditions.
DATES.
Although Arabs cook the date in no particular way, the fact that a good Bedouin housewife will provide her husband with a different dish each day, and that the date is used in many ways except for eating raw is too well known to need elaboration. The following selections from Riley M. Fletcher-Berry's book on "Fruit Recipes" are given as examples. In view of the rapidly increasing cultivation of dates in the Southwest and California.
STEWED DATES—Wash and cover a quart of dates with one pint of water, and let stand over night. In the morning, drain off the water, then let them come to a boil. Let them simmer for 20 minutes, adding a few drops of lime, lemon or orange juice, then remove the fruit, add the juice, and cook the liquid in a cooking vessel, and simmer until the fruit is soft. Pour over the fruit and serve when cold.
DATE FLUFFUFF—Stew one pound of dates, drain, and press out the juice, then put through colander and mix with one cup of sugar, one cup of cream, plain or whipped.
Beat the whites of three eggs stiff, then add gradually a half-pound of powdered sugar, and beat until fluffy. Fold in the cream, plain or whipped.
Beat the whites of three eggs stiff, then add gradually a half-pound of powdered sugar, and beat until fluffy. Fold in the cream, plain or whipped.
Budding should be done in spring, when the budwood has begun to flow. The trees should be pruned as soon as the work begins as soon as it is found that the buds are ready to take a three-inch iron fork and pry the plant up by the roots. The knife must be kept sharp for work in the process. After a bit the operation becomes easy, and one enjoys a raw nectar from its shell.
This is the only way to really get rid of the grass, because anything that would kill them, would also destroy the grass of the lawn.
PROPAGATION OF THE CHERIMOYA.
Although the majority of the cherimoyas in California are seedling, the plant is easily grafted, and it is only through grafting that desirable forms originated as chance seedlings can be perpetuated. The temperature on a commercial scale made possible.
Seeds are sometimes obtainable in bulk, but more frequently in early spring, when the cherimoya is the main crop ripens in this State. The seed is very hard and available, planting must be done at once; otherwise, it is best to defer germinating the seeds an excellent method is to soak the seeds two-thirds silver sand and one-third silver, roughly oiled, redwood, sawdust, or other material. The seeds can be used with good results.
The soil should be dug to the depth of half an inch, and if the soil favorable they will germinate within a week. When the seedlings should be parted off when they have reached a height of three or four inches. A porous, well-drained soil is necessary.
Stocks should be three-eighths to one-half inch in diameter, seedlings of this size are usually two to three months to two years old. They may be planted in pots or in the open ground.
Wood of the previous season's growth, from which the leaves have fallen, is the best material for budding. The buds must be cut at an angle, and inserted in the same manner as cherry buds. Wrap with waxed tape, coating the bud entirely.
WEED KILLING IN LAWNS.
There are two classes of weeds that come in lawns, and each demands a different treatment for er- extion. This makes the having and the keeping of a good lawn a possi- bility. Weeds are sometimes neither when people do not know how to deal with them. The removal of the obnoxious and ever-in- terfering weeds.
When the grass is coming up of the seed grass there is generally a large amount of weed seed, like pig weed, alfalfa and squirrel grass. These weeds are dependent for their existence on sunlight as much as on the earth. By con- tinual mowing, the top of the weed will gradually be killed off and leave the lawn filled with its proper growth. This is the best method of extinction with these weeds. Whether the seed grass needs it or not, and the results will soon show by the more frequent cutting and the death and destruction of the weed.
But there is still another class of weed; these grow close to the ground, have no roots, and do not demand so much from the soil for their life. These will not be caught in the knives of the mower, only about half of the root is cut off, and the weed stays alive and growing no matter how many times the lawn is mowed. These belong to the plantain family and are also of others. The best method of dealing with them is to dig them up by hand. They are decidedly a nuisance to get rid of, and must be dug up by hand.
One of the best methods is to take a sharp pointed stick and a fork. Run the knife down close up to the place where the leaves start up, and then drive the fork six inches into the ground is sufficient, and the plant will come up. Take a three-inch iron fork and pry the plant up by the roots. The knife must be kept sharp for work in the process. After a bit the opera- tion becomes easy, and one enjoys a raw nectar from its shell.
