CHERIMOYER AND CHOCHO 



469 



and all the slops of the house. Any kind of manure, fresh or old, ashes, leaves, 

 and vegetables will soon disappear and be absorbed by this gigantic king of 

 plants. As the rainy season approaches, pile all the leaves and twigs of trees 

 around the plants. It protects the bulbs and makes the soil rich for next season. 



THE CHERIMOYER OR PERUVIAN CUSTARD APPLE 



The oldest cherimoyer (Anona cherimolia) is growing in Santa 

 Barbara. The fruit was introduced about fifty years ago, and the 

 parent tree has for many years produced abundant fruit in such 

 perfection that the seeds have readily germinated, and the trees thus 

 propagated have been in successful bearing in several Santa Bar- 

 bara gardens. The leaves are oval and pointed at both ends ; 

 flowers solitary, very fragrant, and having a greenish color. Good 

 specimens of the fruit are three or four inches in diameter, often 

 heart-shaped, grayish brown or nearly black when fully ripe. The 

 flesh, in which thirty or forty brown seeds are found, is soft, sweet, 

 and pleasant to the taste, being most palatable when near decay. 

 Mr. I. H. Cammack, of Whittier, describes the pulp as of the 

 consistency of ice cream or a custard flavored with a blending 

 of pineapples and bananas. If it has a fault it is too rich. Appar- 

 ently it has no particular season for ripening, yet the best speci- 

 mens seem to be found in Santa Barbara in April and May. The 

 cherimoyer is also found in gardens in San Diego and Los Angeles 

 counties. It needs a well-protected situation. The fruit has been 

 marketed on a limited scale in Los Angeles, and larger plantations 

 have been made, especially in the Cahuenga Valley, near Los An- 

 geles. The plant comes true from seed and the tree bears in its 

 fourth year, and should have as much room as an orange tree. 

 Mr. C. P. Taft, of Orange, points out the fact that much can be 

 gained by selection and propagation from the most satisfactory 

 trees, as follows : 



Cherimoyers found in the gardens of southern California are almost always 

 seedlings, and generally shy bearers. There is but one named variety, so far 

 as I am aware, the Golden Russet. This is very prolific and frequently attains 

 large size. Specimens above one pound in weight are not uncommon. The 

 quality is as good as any, but is variable owing to the season and time of 

 ripening, much cold having a marked deteriorating effect. The normal shape 

 is like that of the strawberry, and the variations from the normal are equally 

 abundant; in fact, in this respect the cherimolia is quite extraordinary, as the 

 same tree will have on it fully matured fruit from less than an inch in diameter 

 up to six or eight inches. In size the tree averages about the same as the 

 peach. The market is a good one, large fruit commanding $3 per dozen or 

 more, while the smaller ones sell by the pound at a relatively lower price. 



THE CHOCHO OR CHAYOTA 



The chocho plant is fruiting in Santa Barbara county, for Mr. 

 Kinton Stevens, of Montecito, who obtained the seed from Samoa. 

 Sechimn edule is the botanical name of this plant, but it is per- 



