UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



^ BULLETIN No. 743 | 



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Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



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Washington, D. C. 



▼ 



April 17, 1919 



THE AVOCADO IN GUATEMALA. 



By Wilson Popenoe, 



Agricultural Explorer, Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Importance of the avocado 1 



Extent of avocado culture in Guatemala 2 



Popular uses of the avocado 4 



Climatic zones of Guatemala 6 



Classification of avocados 8 



Avocado culture in the Guatemalan high- 

 lands 10 



The West Indian race of avocados in Guate- 

 mala 



The Mexican race of avocados in Guatemala. . 

 The coyo 



Select Guatemalan avocado seedlings intro- 

 duced into the United States 



IMPORTANCE OF THE AVOCADO. 



Probably no other country possesses such an abundance of fine avo- 

 cados as Guatemala. Not all Guatemalan avocados are exceptionally 

 choice, but scattered throughout the highlands of the Republic are 

 many trees of unusual merit. A wide variation in characteristics 

 exists. Fruits of some varieties are no larger than hens' eggs ; others 

 weigh fully 3 pounds. The shapes range from long and slender to 

 oblate. The surface is sometimes rough and warty, sometimes 

 smooth. The color may be green, maroon, purple, or almost black. 

 Many varieties have proportionately large seeds, others small. Most 

 important of all, there are numerous varieties whose deep yellow 

 flesh is of the smoothest texture and has the richest, most agreeable 

 flavor. 



Since the soil was cleared in the lower Motagua Valley for banana 

 plantations — now thousands of acres in extent — the production of 

 avocados is insignificant in comparision with that of bananas; but 

 to the native Guatemalans, especially the Indians, who represent 

 more than half the total population, the avocado is still in most 

 regions the more important. Bananas are grown mainly for export, 

 while the entire avocado crop is consumed locally. 



The abundance of avocados, their cheapness, and the long season 

 during which they are available make it possible for even the poorest 



79774°— Bull. 743—19 1 1 



