A DELICIOUS FRUIT FROM SOUTH AMERICA 



The cherimoj'a has been called by some writers one of the world's finest fruits. Its rough 

 green skin encloses luscious, melting pulp of custard-like consistency, piquant and delicate 

 in flavor, suggesting pineapples and Ijananas. While its native home lies within the 

 tropics, it only attains perfection at high altitudes, where the atmosphere is cool and the 

 soil well drained. It has been grown with remarkable success in subtropical regions such 

 as southern California and Madeira, where the conditions of climate and soil approach 

 those of its native home — believed to be the Andes of Peru and Ecuador. The cherimoya 

 {Annona cherimola) has been in cultivation for a long time, and numerous varieties have 

 originated. (Fig. 13.) 



The most important work in mango 

 improvement yet done in Cuba con- 

 sists in the selection and propagation 

 of some of these superior secdHngs. 

 While the effect of this work is not yet 

 very noticeable, it has served to show 

 what can be done, even by such simple 

 means, and without the aid of budding 

 or grafting. Now that these methods 

 are being applied, however, the oppor- 

 tunities are much greater, and choice 

 monoembryonic varieties can be per- 

 ])etuatcd as well as the polyeml)ryonic 

 ones. 



THE AVOCADO 



The avocado is another favorite of 

 the Cubans, and a fruit which takes a 

 very important i)lace in their dietary 

 during the summer months. It is 

 esteemed by all classes, and forms a 

 substantial ]jart of almost every meal; 

 it is appreciated so highly, in fact, as 

 to have given rise to a common saying. 

 564 



"No puedo comer sin aguacate" — "I 

 cannot cat without avocado." 



Everywhere throughout the island 

 the avocado grows abundantly. Nat- 

 urally enough, the trees arc all seedlings, 

 with the exception of the few budded 

 orchards which have recently been 

 ]jlanted, and among them there is the 

 greatest variation in size, shape, color 

 and quality of fruit, as well as in 

 ]:)roductiveness and season of rii)ening. 

 Unlike the mango, the avocado docs 

 not come true from seed, and seeds from 

 an oval green avocado may produce 

 roimd. oblong or pyriform fniits of 

 green or i)tu-|)lc color, smaller or larger 

 than the jxirent, and varying in other 

 characters as well. For this reason the 

 Ctibans do not recognize any different 

 classes of avocados, but call thcMU all 

 aguacate without distinction. 



P"'rom the standi)oint of plant brccd- 

 in<:, much has alread\- been done in 



