1083 



rear of the Masonic building, 7a Avenida Norte No. 4, 

 Guatemala City, Guatemala. The altitude here is ap- 

 proximately 4900 feet. This tree has been mentioned 

 by several people as producing the finest fruit which 

 they have ever eaten. Don Pedro Bruni , who has lived 

 in Guatemala many years, and is thoroughly familiar 

 with avocados, tells me that he has never eaten a 

 fruit of better quality than this. The tree is very 

 large, standing at least 50 feet high, with a trunk 

 about two feet in diameter. Its age is unknown, but 

 it is probably 50 or 75 years at least. It has a 

 dense crown, and seems to be in vigorous condition. 

 As is commonly the case with avocados of the Guate- 

 malan type, the tree does not appear to produce a 

 large crop of fruit every season. It bore well last 

 year, but is not fruiting at all this year, hence it 

 has not been possible to examine the fruit. The 

 caretaker on the property described it as being pear- 

 shaped, medium sized (probably about a pound in 

 weight or perhaps a trifle more), and deep purple in 

 color when ripe. The seed is said to be small or 

 medium sized, and the flesh rich yellow in color, of 

 unusually rich flavor. It is difficult to ascertain 

 the length of the season, but the fruit is said to be 

 at its best from May to July. The tree is said to 

 bear heavy crops in some seasons, and the fact that 

 it is not bearing this year is not against the vari- 

 ety, since this is the habit of a great many trees of 

 this type; it seems, in fact, to be the rule. Al- 

 though I have not been able to examine this fruit 

 personally, it seems well worthy of trial in Cali- 

 fornia and Florida on the strength of the recommen- 

 dation given it by the people here." (Popenoe.) 



Rosa abietina Grenier. (Rosaceae.) 43706. Rose hips 

 from Jamaica Plain, Mass. Presented by the Arnold 

 Arboretum and selected by Mr. H. C. Skeels and Dr. 

 W. Van Fleet, of this Department. A shrub with slen- 

 der, often climbing brown stems, becoming 10 feet 

 high, and usually armed with straight prickles. 

 The leaves are composed of 5 to 9 leaflets, which 

 are dark green, and the bright yellow flowers occur 

 singly or several at a time. The flowers are from 2 

 to 2 1 inches wide, and have a very unpleasant odor. 

 The fruit is round. This rose is a native of west- 

 ern Asia. (Adapted from Rehder, in Bailey, Stand- 

 ard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, p. 2995, under Rosa 

 foetida . ) 



