THE AVOCADO 23 



only the caloric or energy-producing values that are shown, and 

 much of the value of meat as a food lies, of course, not in the 

 energy which it produces, but in its ability to build up and 

 repair the tissues of the body. 



In the United States the avocado is commonly used in the 

 form of a salad, either alone or combined with lettuce, onions, 

 or other vegetables. Up to the present, no satisfactory ways of 

 cooking or preserving this fruit have been developed. Experi- 

 ments in extracting a table- or cooking-oil have been encourag- 

 ing, but as yet the production of avocados in this country is 

 not great enough to permit the commercial development of 

 this field. In the tropics, the fruit is added to soups at the 

 time of serving ; mashed with onions and lemon juice to form 

 the delectable guacamole of Cuba and Mexico; or eaten as a 

 vegetable, without the addition of any other seasoning than a 

 little salt. In Brazil it is looked on more as a dessert than 

 as a staple foodstuff, and is made into a delicious ice-cream. 

 Numerous recipes appear in cook-books which have been pub- 

 lished in Cuba, Florida, California, and Hawaii. 



CLIMATE AND SOIL 



It is impossible to define in few words the climatic condi- 

 tions most favorable to the avocado, since the different races 

 do not always succeed under the same conditions. The sub- 

 ject must, therefore, be considered from the standpoint of races. 



The West Indian race, which comes from the moist low- 

 lands and seacoasts of tropical America, is more susceptible 

 to frost than the others. Hence, when grown near the north- 

 ern limit of the subtropical zone, it requires more protection 

 from possible severe frosts than the Guatemalan race, which 

 comes from the highlands of southern Mexico and Guatemala, 

 or the hardy avocados from central and northern Mexico 

 which constitute the Mexican race. Not a few losses have 



