20 BULLETIN 1073, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 



double samples, the storage fruit had 11.2 per cent of skin and the 

 fresh fruit 13.8 per cent. As the moisture in the pulp was about the 

 same between the two sets, this shows that any loss in weight on 

 standing is largely due to loss of water from the skins. 



The proportion of seed is somewhat higher in the storage samples 

 than in the fresh, about 0.8 per cent, being 15.2 for the fresh and 16. 

 for the storage. The loss of water from the skin, which increases 

 the relative proportion of the seed, probably is the cause. 



The percentage of water in the pulp varies but little. The 40 

 double samples show about 0.7 per cent more water in the storage 

 than in the fresh samples, a quantity which is probably negligible, 

 as it amounts to only 1 per cent of the moisture content. The per- 

 centage of ash is higher by approximately 10 per cent in the storage 

 samples than in the fresh. The only way to explain this discrepancy, 

 which is too large to be accounted for by variation in the samples, 

 is by the difficulty of separating the pulp and skin of the very imma- 

 ture fresh samples. The greater portion of ash in the pulp of the 

 avocado lies next to the skin. If more of the pulp of the fresh samples 

 were left adhering to the skin, less ash would be apparent in the 

 remaining pulp. This difficulty is not encountered in the soft sam- 

 ples, as the pulp is more readily separated. The fact that the greater 

 ash content is nearer the skin, found true in many fruits, has been 

 confirmed in the case of the avocado by analyses made in the labo- 

 ratory, which showed the outer half of the pulp next to the skin to 

 have 1.54 per cent of ash, as compared with 1.36 per cent of ash in 

 the inner half next the seed, the same avocado being used for each 

 determination. 



The protein content shows a somewhat similar change, the average 

 content for the storage samples being approximately 1.8 per cent, 

 while the fresh samples contain but 1.6 per cent. Calculation to the 

 water-free basis does not alter the general ratio between the protein 

 contents of the samples. Another peculiarity of the data is the uni- 

 form increase in the protein content of the storage samples of imma- 

 ture fruits over that of the fresh samples. This is particularly notice- 

 able in the case of the Lyon, where the average increase in protein of the 

 storage samples over the fresh is more than 0.4 per cent. With some 

 of the other varieties, this increase is more marked in the case of the 

 immature fruits; after maturity there is in many cases little change, 

 and in some a reverse condition is true. Taking it all in all, the results 

 are inconclusive. It is hard to conceive of a condition where the 

 actual nitrogen content of the fruit could be increased after removal 

 from the tree. 



There also seems to be a decided increase in fat content in the 

 storage samples when the fruit is immature, an increase which is not 

 maintained after maturity has been reached. At present it is not 



