12 THE AVOCADO IN FLORIDA. 



figures of the branches, inckiding the leaves and inflorescence, are 

 undoubtedly the AYest Indian-South American form. The size of the 

 fruit is that of the West Indian-South American form, while the color 

 of the skin is exactly that of the Mexican avocado. This publication 

 also sugo-ests that "it is increased by cuttings, treated in the usual 

 manner." So far as the write r'.s experience goes, the cuttings are diffi- 

 cult to strike without bottom heat. 



In the Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture 

 for 1901, page 354, Mr. O. F. Cook refers to the avocado as one of the 

 important fruits of Porto Rico, and says: 



The alligator peai-, also called butter pear, aguacate, and avocate, is a tropical fruit 

 now relatively little known, but with every prospect of a gradually increasing 

 popularity. It is a pear only in shape, and might l)etter be rnmpared to the olive, 

 because it serves as a salad or a relish rather than a fruit in the ordinary sense, and 

 frequently becomes a favorite, even with those who do not like it at first. The flesh 

 has a delicate buttery consistency, and is eaten with vinegar, salt, and other condi- 

 ments, or is used as an ingredient of other salad compounds. Tlie promise of agri- 

 cultural and commei-cial importance for this fruit lies in the fact that it already has 

 a distinct, if limited, place in the markets of our larger cities at from 30 to 60 cents 

 apiece, prices which might be halved or quartered and still leave good profits for 

 both grower and dealer. Moreover, even at these large prices the supply of first- 

 class fruit seems to be unequal to the demand. 



The alligator pear is perhaps the one fruit which Torto Rico is ready to send to 

 market in considerable quantity and of prime quality. The tree is easily propa- 

 gated from seed, is a vigorous grower, and a free bearer, and there is no a])parent 

 reason why the alligator pear may not become almost as cheap and nearly as popu- 

 lar as the orange. 



In the Report of the Florida State Horticultural Society for 1902, 



Mr. Boggs says: 



Of equal promise and of greater present market importance is the avocado pear, 

 which is to-day the most costly fruit on the American market, and is making more 

 friends every season. The importance of l;)udding and grafting as applied to this 

 fruit is greater than the securing of better varieties from abroad, for Florida now 

 produces the best in the world, but in eliminating the inferior sorts which form a 

 large proportion of seedling orchards and in regulating by selection the season of 

 fruitage. There are now trees in Dade County whicli ripen fruit as early as July 15 

 and others as late as January 15. The significance of this fact needs no comment. 



Choice avocados retailed last season at from 35 cents to 75 cents each in the cities, 

 and the demand seems to outgrow the supply. It is urged that this society, in its 

 catalogue, should encourage the use of tlie name avocado, both on the score of cor- 

 rectness and of euphony, in place of the absurd misnomer "alligator pear," which 

 leads to many mistakes. 



Mr. W. A. ]Mar.sh also makes reference to this fruit in the Report 

 of the Florida State Horticultural Society for 1896, as follows: 



The alligator or avocado pear {Persea gratissima) is one of the most highly prized 

 of all tropical fruits. It belongs to the order of Lauraceae. The fruit is sometimes 

 round, also pear-shaped, containing one large seed about the size and shape of a 

 hulled walnut. The fruit when mature varies in color from a bright green to a deep 

 rich brown, sometimes mottled with both colors. Its flesh is a vegetable marrow, 



