THE AVACADO. 239 



The mango is a native of Asia and its islands, and also 

 of Brazil, but the former are considered as superior both 

 in size and flavor. 



So highly esteemed are some of the finer trees in India, 

 that guards are placed over them during the fruiting sea- 

 son ; especially is this the case with the Mazagong mangoes, 

 the most superior of all. 



The mango dodol is the largest of all the many varie- 

 ties, the fruit being the size of a large shaddock, and 

 weighing over two pounds. This tree loves high, dry, 

 sandy soil, and moderate fertilizing ; it grows rapidly and 

 bears at three years old ; the fruit, where a market can be 

 quickly reached, finds ready and profitable sale, but will 

 not bear shipping on long or rough journeys unless picked 

 very green. 



The Florida mango of the Gulf coast is at present mar- 

 keted chiefly in Key West and New Orleans. It is not as 

 yet extensively planted, but its area is yearly extending, 

 so far as the limited area possible for its growth will al- 

 low; it will not bear frost, and by " frost" we mean here, 

 as elsewhere in this work, a degree of temperature which 

 will produce even a thin film of ice. 



THE AVACADO 



(Pronounced ah-guah-cahta), 



Often, but erroneously, called the alligator pear; it is 

 not a pear at all, and has nothing in common with that 

 fruit except, perhaps, in shape and size; another name 

 frequently given it is " Vegetable Marrow." 



The tree, which is a handsome one, attains to the size of 

 an apple tree ; the leaves are oblong, the flowers of a yel- 

 lowish-green color, and the fruit, which sometimes weighs 

 two pounds or more, is regarded as one of the most deli- 

 cious in the world. 



