1919.'\ THE AVOCADO IN TRINIDAD d- TOBAGO. 115 



COMMON N.\MES. 

 It will be noticed that in these old accounts there was already a 

 considerable variation in the spelling of the name of the plant. Since 

 those da3'S more names have been coined, and Dr. J, N. Rose in Notes 

 on the useful Plants of Mexico gives as many as nine. "Aguacate, 

 Ahuacate chico, A.hnacate grande, avocado, avocado pear, Alligator pear, 

 midshipman's butter, vegetable butter, vegetable marrow." Most of these 

 are known here, and to them we can add " Zabaca." A desire has already 

 been expressed in other countries to adopt a uniform name and in 

 particular to drop the misnomer " pear." In the United States, the 

 Department of Agriculture, the American Pomologtcal Society, the 

 California Avocado Association, and other bodies have decided to use 

 only the name avocado and their example is recommended here. W 



PRESENT DISTRIBUTION. 



From its original home the avocado has been introduced not only 

 into the "West Indies, but into many other tropical and sub-tropical 

 countries. Aublet in his Histoire cles Plantes de la Guiane Francoise, 

 published in 1775, records its cultivation in Cayenne and states that in 

 1750 seeds were taken from Brazil to Bourbon and that a tree raised 

 from one of these fruited in 1758. 



" The tree grows and fruits well in Southern India, Ceylon and also 

 in parts of the Straits and Felerated Malay States, but is not so widely 

 cultivated as it might be"' (J. Lansbourne A^r. Bull. Fed. Malay States 

 ii, 1914. 259.) In the Philippines the early introduction by the Spaniards 

 were not very successful but attention is being again givea to the plant. 

 In Tropical Australia, e.g. Queensland the avocado thrives. In Africa 

 it is \vell kjiown in Natal and in the Congo; recently Egypt has 

 taken up its cultivation, our Department of Agriculture having been asked 

 to supply seeds in large quantities. *^) In Madeira and the Canary Islands 

 avocados are cultivated on a commercial scale and exported to England. 

 The fruits are usually very small compared with the better kinds here 

 but they sell to a limited extent at prices ranging from about 9d. to 

 Is. 3d. (pre war). In Hawaii great care and attention is being given to 

 the avocado and some 65 varieties were under cultivation at the Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station in 1911 ("The Avocado in Hawaii" -BkZZ. ^5 

 Hawaii Ag. Ejcp. Statioi.) It is in Florida and Southern California 

 that the greatest intere-^t is being displayed in avocado cultivation, 

 evidence of which is afforded by the existence of the California Avocado 

 Association. In a paper read at the fourth semi-annual meeting of the 

 Association in October 1916 a description was given of 110 named 

 varieties under caltivatiou and trial in California alone. (3) 



CULTIVATION IN THE WEST INDIES. 

 Although so long cultivated in the West Indies but little attention 

 appears to have been given until quite recently' to the selection, intro- 

 duction and propagation of good varieties of avocados. 



(1.) The Plate " Aiitbracnose of Alligator Pear" was prepared previouslj- to this 

 decision, 



(2.) See R. O. "Williams "Packing Avocado Seeds for Transport" Bull. Dcpt. 

 Agr. Tdad ct- Tbgo. XVII. WIS. 50. The best results were obtained with seeds iu 

 charcoal. 



(3) I. J. Condit " History of the Avocado and its varieties in California with a 

 check list of all iiaaiel vavietiss," California Monthly B,i"etni VI. 1017 1-21. 



