120 TBINIDAD AND TOBAGO BULLETIN. [XVIIL 3. 



This example from Eiver will serve to^illustrate the origin of named 

 varieties, here and in other countries, namely by the selection of the 

 best of a large number of seedlings. Then having found the desirable 

 kind, fix it by budding. The next step at River will be to cut down 

 the poor trees, wait until they throw new shoots from the cut trunk, 

 as they do very readily, and then bud on these from the selected trees. 

 The poor trees will thus be converted into good varieties. One hundred 

 and fifty budded plants have also been put in at River estate during the 

 last two seasons. 



A stage in the process of conversion from bad to good may be seen at the 

 present time at Mrs. E. StoUmeyer's garden at Diego Martin. Of the trees 

 originally there the good varieties have been selected and left. Of four 

 bearing trees the weight of single fruits ranged from 14 oz. to 1 lb. 3 oz., 

 the average being 1 lb. 1 oz. The poor trees have been cut back and 

 budded, by Mr. Bailey, and at eighteen months after budding I was 

 shown new trees, twelve to fifteen feet high, grown from the single bud. 



Particulars of two other avocados growing in the garden of my official 

 residence are also given in the table (Nos. 19 & 20). Their fruits weigh 

 1 lb. 4 oz. and 1 lb. 9 oz. respectively. Both are of excellent flavour. 

 One (No. 19) is a purple thin skinned variety, whilst the other CNo. 20) 

 is a green kind with a thicker, harder skin, very firm flesh and a 

 fixed stone. It appears a very good type not only for local use, but 

 also for exjiort, should such a trade develop later. This type has been 

 selected for propagation and budded plants from this tree are distributed 

 by the Department under the name of the " St. Ann's " Avocado. 



It is not improbable that a seedless avocado may be obtained. 

 Occasional seedless avocados have already been reported from the United 

 States, and Honolulu, and should a tree or even a single branch of a 

 tree be found bearing regularly seedless fruits the type [could doubtless 

 be fixed by budding. Ko far as I am aware this has not yet been 

 achieved. 



Another point to select for is early or late bearing. The avocado is 

 a perishable fruit, and there is a tendency for the market to be glutted 

 at one season, with correspondiirgly low prices, and a great scarcity at 

 other times with comparatively high prices. Trees which bear earlier 

 or later than usual are accordingly desirable, and watcli should be kept 

 for such trees and use made of them as sources of bud wood. It will be 

 necessary to extend the observations over two or three years to ascertain 

 that it is not an accidental variation in one season, and the observations 

 are best made where several trees are growing together to eliminate 

 effects of local conditions. 



In addition to what may be termed the local types, there are a few 

 introduced named varieties in the Colony. The "Pollock" (Fig. 5) a 

 very large fruited avocado, which was introduced by Mr. Eugene Andr^ 

 and thrives well at Port-of-Spain. 



The " Trapp " a Mexican Variety which thrives in Florida was 

 received from the United States Department of Agriculture in 1912, 



