74 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



" Form almost spherical : size below medium, weight about 10 ounces, length 

 8A inches, breadth slightly over 3 inches; base scarcely extended, the stem 

 inserted almost squarely without depression; apex rounded, with a slight 

 depression around the stigmatic point; surface undulating to finely pebbled, 

 dull green in color with numerous very minute yellowish dots ; skin not very 

 thick, scarcely up to one-eighth of an inch over any portion of the fruit, separat- 

 ing readily from the flesh, woody, brittle; flesh yellow, greenish toward the 

 skin, free from fiber or discoloration, of -firm, smooth texture and rich flavor; 

 quality excellent ; seed rather small, nearly spherical in form, weighing 

 slightly more than 1 ounce, tight in the seed cavity, with both seed coats ad- 

 hering closely to the cotyledons." {Popenoc) 



44440. Persea amertcaxa Mill. Laiiracea\ Avocado. 



(P. f/rntissima Gaertn. f. ) 



From Guatemala. Budwood collected by :\Ir. AVilson Popenoe. Agricultural 

 Explorer for the Department of Agriculture. Received March to June, 

 1917. 



"(Nos. 94. no. 136, 138. Avocado No. IT.) Xiwiioh. It is rare to find a 

 large-fruited avocado which is at the same time very productive. In this 

 variety, however, these two characteristics are both combined to an unusual 

 degree. In addition, the quality of the fruit is excellent, the flesh being rich 

 yellow in color, free from discoloration, and of very rich flavor. The habit 

 of the tree and the character of the wood indicate that the variety may not be 

 a very strong grower. 



" The parent tree is growing in a sitio I)elong:ng to Trinidad Hernandez, 

 Callejon de Concepcion No. 28, Antigua, Guatemala. The elevation is approxi- 

 mately 5,100 feet. The soil is a very sandy loam, black, loose, deep, and un- 

 doubtedly very fertile. The tree stands close to the wall, with no other large 

 trees close to it. It is very poorly cared for. Its age is not known, but it is 

 probably 15 years. It is about 25 feet high, the trunk is 14 inches thick 

 at the base, and the first branches 12 feet from the ground. The crown is 

 broadly oval, of good form, and rather dense. It looks, however, as though 

 the variety might be a ditfuse grower when young, with long heavy shoots 

 inclined to droop. The wood is unusually brittle, and the budwood very poor, 

 the eyes being stalked or losing their bud scales and falling early. The tree 

 is badly attacked by leaf-gall, and there are a good many scale insects on it. 



" The elevation of Antigua, 5,100 feet, is not great enough to insure unusual 

 hardiness in a variety, and pending a test in the United States it can only be 

 assumed that this avocado is of about average hardiness for the Guatemalan 

 race. 



" The flowering season is from the latter part of February to the end of 

 March. According to the owner of the tree, it always bears at least a few 

 fruits. l>ut it is to be expected that a tree which produces such a crop as this 

 one did in 3917 will not bear heavily the following year. While an accurate 

 count was not made, the crop this .season was estimated at 300 to 400 fruits. 

 The normal size of the fruit is between 2 and 3 pounds, but owing probably 

 to the large number on the tree many do not develop to a greater size than 

 1 pound. Probably good culture and thinning would result in a ci'op of 

 uniformly large fruits. The season of ripening is earlier than some, most of 

 the fruits being fully ripe in February and March. 



" In form this avocado is broadly oval, usually, somewhat oblique. The sur- 

 face is deep green and rather rough, while the skin is thick and woody. The 



