THE ANNONACEOUS FRUITS 169 



As soon as budded or grafted trees of good varieties are avail- 

 able, many small orchards should be established quickly. 



The cherimoya is commonly eaten fresh : rarely is it used in 

 any way except as a dessert fruit. Alice R. Thompson, who has 

 analyzed the fresh fruit in Hawaii, finds that it contains : Total 

 solids, 33.81 per cent, ash 0.66 per cent, acids 0.06 per cent, 

 protein 1.83 per cent, total sugars 18.41 per cent, fat 0.14 per 

 cent, and fiber 4.29. It will be noted that the sugar-content 

 is high, while that of acids is low. The percentage of protein is 

 higher than in many other fruits. 



Cultivation. 



The climatic requirements of the cherimoya have been indi- 

 cated in the discussion of the regions in which it is cultivated. 

 It is essentially a subtropical fruit, and in the tropics succeeds 

 only at elevations sufficiently great to temper the heat. It 

 thrives best in regions where the climate is relatively dry. In 

 the southern part of Guatemala, where the annual rainfall is 

 about 50 inches but where there is a long dry season, it is exten- 

 sively grown and the fruit is of excellent quality; but in the 

 northern part of the same country, where the rainfall is nearly 

 100 inches, distributed throughout the year, the tree cannot 

 be grown successfully. In the highlands of Mexico it is best 

 suited where the climate is dry, free from extremes both of heat 

 and cold, and where abundant water is available for irrigating. 

 The climate of southern California, except in sections subject 

 to severe frosts, seems almost ideal for it. In many places frost 

 is the limiting factor, for the cherimoya, while the hardiest of 

 its genus, does not endure temperatures lower than 26 or 27 

 above zero without serious injury. Young plants will, of course, 

 be hurt by mild frosts which mature trees would ignore ; in fact, 

 temperatures lower than 29 or 30 are likely to injure them. 



Like other annonas, the cherimoya prefers a rich loamy soil. 

 It can be grown, however, on soils of many different types. 



