THE AVOCADO 53 



West Indian varieties have been grown for four or five years in 

 southern California without bearing fruit. They are sometimes 

 injured by cold, but, allowing for setbacks from this cause, the 

 West Indian race does not fruit so early in California as in 

 Florida. The Mexican race usually fruits at an early age in 

 both regions. 



As a rule, budded trees of the West Indian race are precocious 

 in Florida. Trapp is remarkable in this respect; and in 

 addition it has a strong tendency toward over-production which 

 must be checked during the first few years by thinning the 

 fruit. Trapp trees will often produce a few fruits the year after 

 they are planted in the orchard, and at three years from planting 

 may begin to yield commercial crops. If grown under irrigation, 

 \ so that their development has been rapid, the trees may be 

 allowed* to carry thirty or forty fruits the third year after 

 planting, but during th^first year it is best to remove all 

 fruits, and the second yearSiot more than half a dozen should 

 be allowed ID mature. \W T hen grown without irrigation, the 

 tree is rarely large enough at three years of age to carry more 

 than twelve or eighteen fruits without injury to itself, unless 

 soil conditions have been very favorable. The mistake is 

 often made of allowing Trapps to over-bear when young, with 

 the result that they die back following the fruiting season. 



Seedlings vary even more than budded trees in the age at 

 which they begin fruiting. The Mexican race often fruits at 

 two or three years from seed. The Guatemalan race, in Cali- 

 fornia, has occasionally fruited at three or four years, but more 

 commonly comes into bearing at six or seven years. The West 

 Indian race, in Florida, does not usually come into bearing 

 earlier than five or six years from seed. 



In California, no figures showing the yield of a budded orchard 

 have as yet been obtained, but in Florida, where the avocado 

 industry is older, interesting data are available. While the 

 figures given may not apply to both regions and will certainly 



