26 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



AGUACATES AND GRAPE FRUIT 



INCREASED PLANTINGS OF THE FORMER FRUIT IN CALIFORNIA 



CHANCES FOR A GRAPE FRUIT MARKET IN GERMANY 



THE AGUACATE IN CALIFORNIA 



It is during the last few years that 

 steadily increasing attention has been 

 brought to bear upon several fruits which 

 up to this time have been grown only in 

 a small way, for private use and pleasure, 

 but which offer good prospects of becoming 

 no insignificant contributors to the local as 

 well as to outside markets. 



Among these the "Ahuacate" (Persea 

 gratissima) holds first place. It is a fact 

 that of this tree, considered as a curiosity 

 up to three years ago, many hundred thou- 

 sands have been planted to this date in 

 various parts of California. 



A writer in the California Fruit Grower 

 urges all growers and all citizens to "up- 

 hold our classical, melodious name of 

 Ahuacate, which came straight to us from 

 the ancestors of Montezuma, and to leave 

 the blunderous, nonsensical name of alli- 

 gator pear and avocado to the other side 

 of the continent." The fruit is called 

 "aguacate" in Cuba, which is not different 

 from its name in California. 



The Cherimoya is another Cuban product 

 which is fast finding favor in California. 

 Dr. F. Franceschi in a recent address at 

 Santa Barbara said : 



"The Cherimoya, which was introduced 

 to California at the same time as the 

 Ahuacate (by the late Judge Ord, in 1871, 

 at Santa Barbara), has gained more popu- 

 larity, mainly in these last twenty years, 

 during which quite a number have been 

 planted. It is such a delicious fruit that 

 the demand of the local market is sure to 

 increase indefinitely. But in order to 

 conquer an outside market it will be neces- 

 sary to evolve a special strain, with tough 

 and hard skin, that will not bruise in 

 travel, also to find appropriate methods of 

 culture to insure more prolific setting of 

 fruits and more uniformity of size. 



In Hawaii the black soils have been 

 found least desirable for pineapple grow- 

 ing because of the high content of man- 

 ganese which acts as a poison to the plants. 

 Soils containing more than 1 per cent of 

 manganese are regarded as unfit for pine- 

 apple culture at present. 



The Gordian gives the following as Cuba's 

 production of cacao for the three years 

 1909-10-11 : — 



1909. 1910. 1911. 



Metric tons. Metric tons. .Metric tons. 

 1940 1412 1251 



GRAPE FRUIT IN GERMANY 



United States Consul General Robert P. 

 Skinner at Hamburg reports that American 

 grapefruit {Citrus decwnana) was origi- 

 nally imported into Germany to satisfy a 

 limited demand created by American resi- 

 dents or persons who had resided at some 

 time in the United States. Notwithstand- 

 ing that the usual European early breakfast 

 does not include fruit of any kind, the 

 consumption of the "pompelmuse," to use 

 the name applied to it in Europe (also 

 called "pomelos" in the United States), 

 tends to increase substantially. 



Official statistics showing the amount of 

 recent importations are wholly lacking, as 

 grapefruit and a dozen other classes of 

 tropical fruits are comprised under the 

 same heading, all of which are dutiable at 

 the rate of 2 marks per 100 kilos (21.6 cents 

 per 100 pounds). One of the leading im- 

 porters suggests that shipments of 50 to 

 100 boxes at a time would fully cover pres- 

 ent requirements, the sizes most suitable 

 in crates containing 54 to 80. In the past, 

 prices paid per box have been $2 to $4. 

 Importers charge 1 per cent for discount 

 allowed to buyers and a 5 per cent com- 

 mission for selling, plus a moderate charge 

 for dock expenses, receiving and deliver- 

 ing. The freight rate from New York 

 on this class of fruit packed in crates or 

 boxes is placed at 50 marks ($11.90) per 

 100 dubic feet, but this is a point which 

 can only be settled satisfactorily in the 

 United "States. 



Importers sell tropical fruits almost ex- 

 clusively at auction. The amount of busi- 

 ness is enormous and is increasing. Thus 

 far, grapefruit is sold at retail in expensive 

 shops at 15 to 20 cents apiece. In restau- 

 rants the usual charge is 30 cents. Many 

 Germans are utterly unacquainted with 

 grapefruit, and would consider present 

 prices prohibitive in any case. If American 

 shippers could arrange for the sale of the 

 fruit at retail on substantially lower terms 

 than now prevail and also carry on a cam- 

 paign to familiarize people with its use, 

 it is fairly certain that the demand could 

 be greatly extended. 



Correspondence in regard to the sale of 

 grapefruit at the wholesale auctions could 

 be undertaken advantageously with various 

 firms whose addresses are forwarded and 

 may be had from the Bureau of Foreign 

 and Domestic Commerce at Washington. 



Corn can be kept for an indefinite period 

 in storage tanks. 



