THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



CALIFORNIA STATE COMMISSION OF HORTICULTURE 

 Vol. VI. January, 1917. No. 1 



HISTORY OF THE AVOCADO AND ITS VARIETIES IN 

 CALIFORNIA WITH A CHECK LIST OF ALL NAMED 

 VARIETIES.* 



By Ira J. Condit, College of Agriculture, Berkeley, California. 



The first reference to the introduction of avocado trees into California 

 which we have been able to find is in the report of the visiting committee 

 of the California State Agricultural Society for 1856. The committee 

 visited the place of Dr. Thomas J. White near San Gabriel on Septem- 

 ber 4th, and reported as follows: "Dr. White has imported from 

 Nicaragua a variety of choice tropical fruits including the Sapota, the 

 Aguacate or butter fruit, and the Mango." With what success these 

 plants were cultivated has not been learned. 



The early history of the avocado in California is so well described by 

 Dr. F. Franceschi that I wish to quote the following paragraphs from 

 his pen: 



"Just like the above named Mexican fruit trees, also the Ahua- 

 cate was first planted at Santa Barbara, but many years later, that 

 is, in 1871, when three plants were brought from Mexico by the 

 late Judge R. B. Ord, who brought also the first cherimoyas. One 

 of these trees died in infancy; the other two were very large and 

 thrifty when I came to Santa Barbara twenty years ago. Both 

 have unfortunately disappeared, the tallest and finest, bearing 

 fruits of good quality, dying probably on account of the ground 

 being too shallow and dry at the place called "Las Palmas," in 

 the upper part of Montecito; the other, which was branched low 

 and much spreading, with very small and poor fruits, located on 

 De La Vina street, in Santa Barbara, was cut down some fourteen 

 years ago to make room for a new building. 



"In 1892, when I lived in Los Angeles, there was only one good 

 sized ahuacate in all that neighborhood, and precisely at the Jacob 

 Miller place, where stands now beautiful Hollywood. This had 

 been brought from Guatemala, towards 1880, I believe, together 

 with many other rare and interesting trees, and is still extant and 

 thriving. Seedlings from this tree are among the most promising 

 among those which attract the attention of ahuacate growers in 

 California. 



"At Los Angeles the first person to give an efficient impulse to 

 the growing of ahuacates, as well as other kinds of tropical or semi- 

 tropical fruits in the early nineties, was Mr. J. C. Harvey, a 

 Canadian by birth, and during some years agent of the Standard 

 Oil Company in southern California. It was Mr. Harvey who 

 raised the very remarkable ahuacate trees now to be seen at Mrs. 

 Buddington's place on College street, and in Elysian Park, together 

 with a numberless host of choice and beautiful plants scattered all 

 over the country. 



•Address before the fourth semiannual meeting of the California Avocado Asso- 

 ciation, San Diego, October, 1916. 

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