364 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



conditions in the localities where avocado culture has thus far been 

 attempted. While no commercial plantings as large as those in south 

 Florida have yet been made in California, certain individual trees in 

 particular localities have proved productive and profitable, and, as 

 the local demand at all times of the year is thus far in excess of the 

 supply, regularity of bearing and acceptable quality of fruit in that 

 State outweigh all other varietal characteristics. 



So far as known the only variety thus far perpetuated by bud 

 propagation in California is the Chappelow. The original tree of this 

 variety was grown by Mr. William Chappelow, Monrovia, Cal., from 

 seeds sent him by the Division of Pomology of the Department of 

 Agriculture in July, 1893. The seeds had been received shortly before 

 that time from Mr. F. Foex, then of Eddy, N. Mex., who had obtained 

 them from fruits found by him on trees near Monterey, Mexico, where 

 they had been subjected to a temperature of about 22 F. during 

 several consecutive nights when in blossom during the preceding 

 winter. As the other avocado trees of the vicinity had been killed or 

 badly damaged by the low temperature, while these had survived and 

 matured half a crop of fruit, it was presumed that these were especially 

 resistant to cold, as has since been proved true in the case of seedlings 

 descended from them. 



Mr. Chappelow grew but a single tree from the four seeds sent him. 

 This was grown in a pot at first, being transplanted to thp open ground 

 when about a foot high. The first winter, when about 4 feet high, it 

 was cut down to the ground by a temperature of about 24 F., but soon 

 - recovered and developed into a fine, vigorous tree. It began bearing 

 in 1898, and has rarely failed to produce at least a partial crop since 

 that time. Scions from this tree were sent Prof. P. H. Rolfs, of the 

 Subtropical Laboratory, at Miami, Fla., in 1902, and fruits grown 

 on a tree top- worked therefrom were illustrated by him in 1904. a 

 The variety was named Chappelow by Professor Rolfs b and has since 

 been sparingly disseminated under that name. Mr. Chappelow has 

 not kept a continuous record of the product of the tree, but states 

 that in 1905 it bore more than 1,200 fruits. The net return to 

 him from this. tree in recent years, in addition to fruits retained for 

 home use, has been as follows: c 1903, $32; 1904, $54; 1905, $130; 

 1906, $65. The tree blossoms at Monrovia in November and Decem- 

 ber, and ripens its crop from July 15 until September, sometimes 

 continuing into early October. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Form oblong, slender, pyriform or " bottle necked;" size medium 

 tojlarge for the Mexican type; cavity small, shallow, and wrinkled; 



; B. P. I. Bulletin 61. The Avocado in Florida, July 7, 1904, fig. 9 B, p. 26. 



. I. Bulletin 97. S. P. I. Inventory No. 12934. 

 c Letters from William Chappelow, August and October, 1906. 



