OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 1916. 99 



43932 to 43935— Continued, 



promising variety, and it ripens earlier tlian many ottiers, which 

 makes it particularly worthy of trial in California, where early-ripen- 

 ing varieties of the Guatemalan race are greatly desired. 



" The parent tree stands among coffee bushes in the sitio of Diego 

 Muus, in jthe town of San Cristobal Vera Paz. The elevation here is 

 4,550 feet. Close to the tree, on the west, is a much larger avocado 

 tree which crowds it considerably, and there is an Inga tree a few feet 

 away on another side. The tree must be considered, therefore, to be 

 growing under unfavorable surroundings. The soil is a heavy clay 

 loam, blackish, and very fertile. While the owner is not certain as 

 to the exact age of the tree, it is thought to be 8 or 10 years old. It 

 stands about 25 feet high, with a slender, open crown rather sparsely 

 branched. The trunk is 8 inches thick at the base, branching about 8 

 feet above the ground. The tree bears every indication of being a 

 strong grower; the young branchlets are stout, long, and extremely 

 healthy in appearance. The wood is no more brittle than the average. 

 The bud wood furnished by the tree is excellent, having strong, vig- 

 orous eyes which are not inclined to drop at an early stage. The 

 twigs are smooth, round, stout, with the eyes conveniently placed for 

 cutting buds, i. e., not too close together. 



" No frosts occur in San Cristobal Vera Paz ; hence, there is no means 

 of determining whether varieties growing here are hardier than the 

 average or >not. Until further evidence is obtained in the United States 

 it must be assumed that varieties from elevations such as that of San 

 Cristobal Vera Paz are of average hardiness. 



" The flowering season is February. The tree is said to have come 

 into bearing three years ago. It produced an excellent crop the past 

 season, considering the size of the fruit and the unfavorable condition's 

 under which the tree is growing. In 1917 it set no fruit. The crop 

 which developed in 1916 was picked in January and February, 1917, 

 when the fruit was considered to be mature. None were left on the 

 tree, so it is impossible to say how late the fruits might hang on if they 

 were allowed to do so. 



" This fruit is broadly oval in form, slightly oblique, and weighs 20 

 to 22 ounces. It is green in color when ripe, practically smooth on the 

 surface, with hard, brittle, but not unusually thick skin. The flesh is 

 smooth, deep yellow in color, clean, and free from fiber. The flavor is 

 very rich and pleasant. The seed is unusually small, weighing but 2 

 ounces, and fits tightly in its cavity. 



" Following is a formal description of the variety : Form broadly 

 oval, slightly oblique ; size very large, weight 20 to 22 ounces, length 4i 

 inches, breadth 4 inches; base obliquely flattened, the stem inserted 

 without depression ; apex obliquely flattened, slightly depressed around 

 the stigmatic point ; surface pebbled, deep green in color, with numer- 

 ous rather large yellowish dots ; skin one-sixteenth of an inch thick, 

 slightly thicker over some portions of the fruit, coarsely granular, and 

 brittle ; flesh of an unusually rich yellow color, changing to pale green 

 near the skin, free from fiber or discoloration and of very rich flavor; 

 quality excellent ; seed very small in proportion to the size of the fruit, 

 oblate, weighing 2 ounces, tight in the cavity, with both seed coats ad- 

 hering closely to the cotyledons, which are slightly rough for this race." 

 (Popenoe.) 



