THE AVOCADO PEAE. 



P er sea gratis sima Gaertn. LAURACEAE. 



Maltese avocado,. Italian avocado. rQn.c\\=avocadier. 



The Avocado Pear was introduced in Malta in 1905. 

 The first tree was imported from Milan and planted in 

 San Antonio Gardens where it fruited for the first time 

 in 1912. Subsequently, improved varieties, viz : Pollock 

 and Trapp were imported from Sicily, the first of which 

 fruited in 1919. The Avocado pear is a fine evergreen 

 tree native of the West Indies and Mexico, and thrives 

 well in our soil and climate, but as the tree begins to flower 

 in January and February, it requires a very sheltered 

 situation otherwise the wind and the cold will not allow 

 the fruit to set. A deep rich soil is also necessary, the 

 tree being of fast growth and a huge feeder. The leaves 

 are alternate, lanceolate, rather tough or coriaceous, and 

 of a dull green colour, with the special fragrance of cin- 

 namon and pimento. The flowers are produced in 

 bunches or small panicles at the axils of the leaves. They 

 are small, white, and have some fragrance. The flowers 

 are formed in January and bloom in February or March, 

 the flowering being usually prolonged into April. The 

 fruits are more or less egg-shaped, and vary in size from 

 that of a hen's egg in the typical sort, to that of a middle- 

 sized mad-apple or egg-plant. The rind is of a shining 

 green colour dotted light green in the typical sort, but 

 may be dark greenish purple or light yellowish green, 

 according to the variety. Matures in September or in Oc- 

 tober. The pulp is thick, buttery, greenish close to the 

 rind, light green or greenish white close to the seed. The 

 fruit is one-seeded, the seed being round, sometimes 

 3 c.m. in diameter, or more, and is enclosed in a friable 

 tender shell, and loses quickly its germinating power if 

 kept dry for some time, and therefore should be sown 

 within a few days after removal from the fruit. 



