1080 



e-ua As one climbs up the broad slope of the volcano 

 the' character of the vegetation changes considerably, 

 and many of the plants common in gardens at Antigua 

 are not grown here because of the cold. Among 

 plants which are conspicuous by their absence are the 

 banana, the orange (and other citrus fruits), and the 

 tender ornamental plants, such as the royal palm, 

 their stead, the gardens of the Indians at Santa Maria 

 are filled with peach trees, chayote vines, granadilla 

 vines (Passiflora ligularis) , and vegetables such as peas. 

 The hardy Abyssinian banana is a common ornamental 

 plant. Among the plants of the lower elevations which 

 persist are the cherimoya, the avocado, and the ma- 

 tasano (Casimiora) , though I only saw one tree of the 

 latter. Grevillea robusta is one of the commonest orna- 

 mental trees. It can thus be seen that the vegetation 

 is not at all tropical in character, and it must get 

 quite cold in winter. The Commandant assures me that 

 it goes below freezing, but figures are lacking. This 

 avocado has been obtained in the hope that it may 

 prove hardier than those from lower elevations, and 

 thus of value farther north in Florida than the ma- 

 jority of varieties can be grown. In California it 

 may succeed in regions which are a trifle too cold for 

 the average Guatemalan variety. It should at least 

 be given a test with this in view. The fruit is not 

 yet fully grown, so it cannot be fully described. The 

 tree is about 25 feet high, and is carrying a fair 

 crop of fruit. It has good large wood and seems to 

 be a stronger grower than some I have seen. The fruits 

 are almost round, tending toward broadly obovoid, and 

 obscurely ribbed. The surface is very light green, 

 almost glossy, with numerous large yellowish dots. 

 The skin is slightly over one-sixteenth inch thick, 

 and the seed is very small in comparison with the size 

 of the fruit. It looks like a good avocado. The season 

 of ripening could not be ascertained, but probably is 

 not earlier than April." 43487. "From the garden of 

 an Indian, near the center of the village, to the west 

 of the church. This village is situated on the road 

 between Guatemala City and Antigua, at an elevation 

 of 6850 feet, (according to my barometer.) The prin- 

 cipal fruit trees in the garden of the Indians are 

 peaches, cherimoyas, avocados, quinces, manzanillas 

 (hawthorns), and pomegranates. There are are no bananas 

 here, and I only saw two or three orange trees. The 

 tropical fruits do not succeed at this elevation. The 

 variety like 43486 has been selected because of its 



