2 BULLETIN 743, L T . S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



natives in all the principal avocado regions to use them as a daily 

 article of food throughout more than half the year. An avocado, 

 four or five tortillas (small round cakes of coarsely ground maize), 

 and a cup of coffee — by many Indians these are considered the con- 

 stituents of a good meal. The cost of such a meal is seldom over 2 

 cents, for outside the larger cities avocados are rarely sold for more 

 than half a cent each. 



The three races of avocados at present cultivated in the United 

 States are all found in Guatemala, but the Guatemalan race is the 

 only one which is very common. The West Indian race is limited 

 to the lowlands up to 2,500 feet in altitude, and even in this zone 

 is much less abundant than the Guatemalan in the higher zone which 

 it occupies, extending from 2,500 feet (rarely lower) to 7,500 feet, 

 and above this in occasional instances to 8,500 feet. The Mexican race 

 is found only in the highlands, and few trees are in cultivation. A 

 distinct species of Persea, closety resembling the avocado and known 

 as coyo or shucte, is as extensively grown in some sections of the 

 country as the avocado itself. 



EXTENT OF AVOCADO CULTURE IN GUATEMALA. 



No orchards or regular plantations of avocados are found in Guate- 

 mala. Most of the trees occur singly or in small numbers around the 

 houses of the natives. The avocado in Guatemala is essentially a 

 dooryard tree. In certain regions, however, considerable numbers of 

 trees are found in coffee plantations, owing indirectly to the use of 

 shade for coffee bushes. Avocado trees often spring up in the plan- 

 tations from seeds cast aside by laborers or coffee pickers after eat- 

 ing the fruit. Where they do not interfere seriously with other trees 

 these avocados frequently are allowed to grow (PI. I), ultimately 

 becoming a part of the shade-tree system and at the same time in 

 many cases furnishing fruit of commercial value. 



Naturally the number of avocado trees in coffee plantations is com- 

 parative^ small. Even the largest fincas, which contain thousands 

 of shade trees, contain not more than one or two hundred avocados, 

 and it is unusual to find more than 50 or 75. 



No data regarding the annual production of avocados in Guate- 

 mala are available. While avocados are grown in practically all 

 parts of Guatemala, certain regions are especially renowned for 

 their product and supply most of the fruits sold in the larger 

 cities and towns. These regions all lie at elevations above 2,500 

 feet and are not only the greatest producers of avocados but the 

 great horticultural centers of the republic. Favored by climatic 

 conditions and possessing an exceedingly fertile soil, they have long 

 been cultivated intensively by the Indians. 



