FEBRUARY 15. 1915 



171 



dessert. Some use sugar on it, some use salt, vine- 

 sar, olive oil, pepper, or spice, and some cat it raw. 

 It is a fruit lliat may be served in imiunnTaMe 

 ways, all of which are good. 



The alligator pear-tree is just now daitniag tlie 

 attention of orcliardists in many i)arts of tlic world. 

 It is not many years since its introduction into this 

 country. The first trees brought into the United 

 States came from Hawaii and South America. Nearly 

 all of them died. The alligator pear from the Mex- 

 ican highlands has proved to be the best, for the 

 reason that it is accustomed to a high altitude in its 

 native haunts, and it withstands the cool weather of 

 the Southern States quite well. 



Right liere come in some tables .of figures; 

 but as they are not very clear to me I omit 

 them. The paper closes as follows: 



The avocado selling at 40 cts. was a two-pound 

 one. It thus sold at 20 cts. per pound. On an 

 average it takes eight eggs to weigh one pound. 

 With eggs selling at 50 cts. per dozen, or 5 cts. 

 each, they would sell for 40 cts. a pound. With 

 avocadoes selling at the enormous price of $6.00 per 

 dozen, and possessing, as has been shown, the same 

 food values as eggs, it will be seen that they are 

 selling for 15 cts. a pound cheaper than eggs are 

 selling for, when the latter move at 50 cts. per doz- 

 en. The same line of reasoning will show that the 

 consumer could afford to pay $7.20 per box of 48 

 avocadoes; and at the same time he can buy eggs at 

 15 cts. per dozen. 



Thirty-eight feet high is an awful "fence," 

 and Mr. Reasoner felt sure the fence was 

 only about fifteen feet high; but Miss Wy- 

 raan says she thinks 38 feet is correct. She 

 says it is a tremendously big tree, and the 

 fence went up nearly to the top. As the 

 avocado does not stand much frost I have 

 been wondering if this fence were not, at 

 least originally, for weather protection as 

 well as to keep out thieves. 



The alligator pear has been grown more 

 or less in South Florida for 20 years or 

 more. Reasoner sa\s of it in his catalog. 

 " The most valuable fruit in the American 

 market." Until quite recently it has been 

 out of season when we got h.ere in Novem- 

 ber, but now we have a variety called 

 "Trapp" that ripens from November to 

 January, and I am pleased to tell you that 

 we have three trees, now growing in our 

 garden, that cost $2.00 each, catalog price. 

 I have given you this story after finding it 

 is substantially true, because it illustrates so 

 vividly the possihilities of agi'iculture and 

 horticulture. Of course it remains to be 

 proven that buds from this wonderful tree 

 will produce in other localities as the tree 

 does in its California home; but we shall 

 soon know about this. 



As I write, this evening of Dec. 8, I 

 realize that in a few more hours T shall be 

 75 years old. As Mrs. Root was about to 

 retire we have just knelt together, and I 

 have thanked the kind Father that he has 

 permitted us to live thus long, with physical 

 strength and activity almost unimpaired. I 

 thanked him, too, for the progress T have 



been permitted to see in giving hungry hu- 

 manity better and more nourishing fruits 

 and vegetables, and also the better and 

 greater results* for those who fill the soil. 

 1 can easily recall when tomatoes were un- 

 known as an article of food, and yet now 

 the growing and putting them up for a 

 wholesome and nourishing food is a gi'eat 

 world-wide industry. I might say almost 

 the same thing of celery and many other 

 things. Our Department of Agriculture is 

 just now "ransacking the whole wide world" 

 to see if there are not somewhere, heretofore 

 ininoticed, things that are better than what 

 we have already. What a glorious thing it 

 is to have a part, just a little part, in help- 

 ing to bless humanity after we are gone! 

 If I am right, the good man who gave us 

 the Concord grape was scarcely recognized 

 and remembered until after his death. Once 

 more, what a " gloi'ious thing " it would be 

 if all humanity and all nations were work- 

 ing in harmony and brotherly love to hunt 

 lip and develop " God's gifts " heretofore 

 unknown and unrecognized, instead of seek- 

 ing to destroy each other! 



FORTY-FIVE CENTS EACH, WHOLESALE, FOR 

 TRAPP AVOCADOES. 



While giving place to the clipping below, 

 let me say the avocado trees in our garden 

 are of the Trapp variety. They came from 

 Miami in wooden boxes about a foot square 

 (like potted plants), and cost $2.00 each. 



EECORP PRICE FOR AVOCADOES. 



Miami. — Forty-five cents each for avocadoes. This, 

 it is believed, is absolutely the record price ever 

 received in the wholesale market for this fruit, and 

 was paid in Chicago for a crate of Trapp avocadoes 

 raised in the Miami Beach orchard. A telegram 

 received by T. J. Pancoast, secretary of the orchard 

 company, yesterday afternoon contained the informa- 

 tion tliat $21.00 had been received for the crate. 

 Investigation of the records showed that there were 

 ,iust forty-six avocadoes in that crate, which makes 

 their price a fraction over 45 cents each. — Fruit 

 Trade Journal, New York. 



MAILING DASHEEN TUBERS ACROSS THE OCEAN, ETC. 



Mr. Boot : — Noting your trouble in sending dash- 

 eens by mail across the ocean, there is no trouble 

 provided you dry the tubers about ten days in a 

 dry shaded place, tlien pack in perfectly dry excel- 

 ior. We ship a good many caladiums, etc., in this 

 way. 



English walnuts Iiave turned out failures in 

 Florida; also are subject to root-knot. They do not 

 like our long warm and humid summer. We are 

 about 500 miles too far south for them, as they will 

 grow moderately well in the upper part of the 

 southern states. 



Oncco, Fla., Jan. 11. K. N. Uka.'^onkr. 



We have recently Iiad reports of tubers 

 going even (o South Australia and then 

 germinating. We too have failed here with 

 Rnsilish walnuts. 



* You have all noticed, more or less, what the 

 "corn boys and girls" have done in developing 

 pos.sibilities. 



