APRIL. 1 TO JUNE 30, 1917. 45 



44679 to 44681— Continued. 



See also Exploring Guatemala for Desirable New Avocados, An- 

 nual Report of the California Avocado Association, 1917, p. 131, fig. 27 ; 

 reprint, 1918, p. 25, fig. 27;. and The Avocado in Guatemala, U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 713, p. 59, pi. 20. 

 44681. "(Nos. 100, 160. Avocado No. 25.) Kaijah. This is a variety of 

 excellent quality and desirable shape. It resembles the Florida Trapp 

 and the Chisoy (S. P. I. No. 4.3935) of this collection in form and 

 size. Some of the specimens examined had large seeds, but the best 

 ones had seeds which could be termed medium sized or almost small in 

 comparison with the size of the fruit. In small specimens of any 

 variety the seed commonly appears large. This variety was not 

 studied as thoroughly as some of the others, but it is considered well 

 worthy of a trial in the United States. 



" The parent tree is growing in the cafetal of Francisco Muus called 

 'Chiquitop' (Tres Chorros in Spanish), in the edge of the town of 

 San Cristobal, Department of Alta Vera Paz, Guatemala. The altitude 

 is about 4,600 feet. The soil is heavy reddish clay, which is very 

 tenacious when wet. The tree stands among coffee bushes 6 to 8 feet 

 high. It is about 40 feet in height, with the trunk 18 inches thick 

 at the base, branching 12 feet from the ground. The crown is broad 

 and spreading, well branched and dense. The branchlets are rather 

 short, but of good appearance, being well formed and stout. The bud 

 wood is good, but it is difficult to get long bud sticks from the parent 

 tree. The eyes are well developed and do not drop early. 



" Varieties growing at this altitude in Guatemala ai-e not subjected 

 to severe frosts ; hence, there is no way of telling whether they are 

 hardier than the average until they are tested in the United States. 



" The tree probably flowers in late February and March. It is said 

 to fruit heavily, but at the time it was examined in 1917 only a few 

 fruits were left on it. The ripening season is from February to May, 

 which is about the main season for avocados at San Cristobal. 



" The fruit is round, about a pound in weight, yellowish green in 

 color, with a moderately thick skin. The flesh is yellow, clear, dry, 

 of very rich flavor, and free from any discoloration. The seed is 

 medium sized in large specimens, being rather large in some of the 

 smaller specimens examined. In many instances the seed is placed 

 to one side of the center of the fruit. 



"A formal description of the fruit follows : Form obliquely spherical, 

 sometimes slightly narrowed toward the base ; size medium to very 

 large; weight 14 to 20 ounces, length 3f to 4 inches, breadth 3| to 4 

 inches; base slightly flattened, oblique, the stem inserted obliquely 

 without depression ; apex obliquely flattened ; surface pebbled, most 

 conspicuously so around the base of the fruit, deep green to yellowish 

 green in color, almost glossy with numerous small russet or yellowish 

 dots ; skin moderately thick, one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch, hard 

 and woody ; flesh cream yellow in color, without fiber or discoloration, 

 firm, dry, of very rich flavor; quality excellent; seed medium sized, 

 weighing about 2 ounces, sometimes excentric, tight in the seed cavity, 

 with both seed coats adhering closely to the cotyledons." (Popenoe.) 



See also Exploring Guatemala for Desirable New Avocados, Annual 

 Report of the California Avocado Association, 1917, p. 132, fig. 28; 

 reprint, 1918, p. 25, fig. 28; and The Avocado in Guatemala, U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture Bulletin No. 743, p. 60. 



