TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



time a highly developed industry in Smyrna figs has come 

 into existence. By means of a number of varieties of Capri 

 figs the fig wasp is carried throughout the year in its different 

 generations and stages. The wasp emerges from the Capri 

 fig and enters the opening in the end of the Smyrna fig, carry- 

 ing upon itself a portion of the Capri fig pollen and thus fer- 

 tilizing the Smyrna fig, causing the normal development of 

 seed, flavor, and aroma. It has been found that two Capri 

 figs for each 100 Smyrna fig trees is sufficient for purposes of 

 pollination. California produces about 15,000 tons of Smyrna 

 figs annually, and in addition to this quantity the United States 

 imports about 10,000 tons each year. The fig has a fairly high 

 nutritive value for fruits, especially in the dried condition. The 

 fresh fig contains 1.5 per cent, protein and 18.8 per cent, 

 sugars, while the dried fig carries 4.3 per cent, protein and 

 about 75 per cent, total sugars. 



AVOCADO 



The avocado (Persea gratissima) is a tree native to tropical 

 America. It has become universally distributed through the 

 Tropics and subtropics. The avocado is a tree which attains 

 a height of 20 to 60 feet, has leaves 4 to 15 inches long and 

 2 to 10 inches wide, varying considerably in thickness and glos- 

 siness, and fruits which vary greatly in size and shape. The 

 avocado fruit may be oblong, nearly spherical, pear shaped, or 

 bottle shaped, and may vary in length from 5 to 12 inches, 

 in weight from I to 4 pounds, and in color from green through 

 the browns to purple. Moreover, the rind varies from almost 

 the thinness of paper to a thick woody shell. The avocado 

 has also been called aguacate and alligator pear. The last 

 name has become generally distributed and is much used al- 

 though it is really a barbarous and inappropriate term. 



The avocado fruit has one large seed occupying the center 

 of the fruit. In some seedlings and inferior varieties the seed 



