342 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



applied to this fruit, results in its being confused with Mammea 

 americana, L. 



The Indians of Central America commonly eat the sapote 

 out of hand, but it is occasionally made into a rich preserve 

 and it may be employed in other ways. In Cuba it is used as a 

 "filler" in making guava-cheese, and a thick jam, called crema 

 de mamey Colorado, is also prepared from it. The seed is an 

 article of commerce in Central America, where the large kernel 

 is roasted and used to mix with cacao in making chocolate. 



The tree is tropical in its requirements. In Guatemala it 

 is most abundant at elevations from sea-level to 2000 feet; 

 at 3000 feet it is still quite common, but at 4000 feet it is rarely 

 seen. At higher elevations it is injured by the cold and makes 

 very slow growth. It thrives on heavy soils, such as the clays 

 and clay-loams of Guatemala. It is believed in Florida that 

 the plant does not like a soil which is rich in lime, and that for 

 this reason it has failed to succeed at Miami and other points in 

 the state where conditions otherwise seem to be favorable. 

 P. W. Reasoner considered it to be as frost-resistant as the 

 sapodilla. 



Seedlings start bearing when seven or eight years old if 

 grown under favorable conditions, and when of good size yield 

 regularly and abundantly. The fruits are picked when mature, 

 and laid away in a cool place to ripen, which requires about a 

 week. If shipped as soon as picked from the tree, they can be 

 sent to northern markets without difficulty. Sapotes from Cuba 

 and Central America are often seen in the markets of Tampa 

 and New Orleans. The season of ripening extends over a 

 period of two or three months, usually beginning about August 

 in the West Indies and Central America. Differences in eleva- 

 tion, and consequently in climate of course affect the time of 

 ripening. 



All of the sapote trees in tropical America are seedlings. 

 Neither budding nor grafting has yet been used with this 



