THE AVOCADO IN" GUATEMALA. 5 



pepper, and finely chopped onion. It is a popular and very tasty 

 dish, though not especially attractive in appearance. 



An oil to be used as a pomade and as an emollient for burns is 

 said to be produced from the avocado. Many Guatemalans profess 

 to be familiar with this oil, but none was found who could furnish a 

 sample. By some it was said also to be used as a cooking fat, but this 

 was not verified. The oil is said to be extracted as follows : Slightly 

 overripe avocados are selected and the flesh scooped out and thrown 

 into a large kettle, which is then placed over the fire without the 

 addition of water. After boiling slowly for about two hours, to 

 exhaust most of the water contained in the pulp, the kettle is re- 

 moved from the fire and the pulp placed in a muslin bag between two 

 heavy stones, arranged so that the oil, as it percolates through the 

 cloth, will run to one side of the lower stone and collect in a dish 

 placed to receive it. The amount of oil obtained by this process 

 can be only a small proportion of that contained in the fruit. 



Among the Guatemalan Indians, avocado pulp is often rubbed 

 upon the hair and scalp, it being considered highly efficacious in 

 stimulating the growth of the hair. This practice has given rise 

 to the maufacture of avocado soap, which is recommended for wash- 

 ing the hair. To prepare this soap, avocado pulp is mixed with 

 some kind of fat. The product is manufactured commercially in 

 Guatemala, but it seems open to question whether all the brands on 

 the market really contain avocado pulp. 



Among the Kekchi Indians of northern Guatemala the avocado 

 is considered an excellent diet for caged song birds. Young birds, 

 recently caught and caged, are fed daily on avocados in order that 

 they may learn to sing promptly and well. 



It is also considered, in certain parts of Guatemala, that avocados 

 are excellent food for laying hens, greatly stimulating the produc- 

 tion of eggs. 



Hogs thrive on avocados. To North Americans, accustomed to 

 paying 50 cents for a single fruit, this may seem an expensive diet 

 for hogs, but where inferior avocados can be purchased for 6 or 

 7 cents a hundred and lard is 25 cents a pound it is a good invest- 

 ment to turn avocados into pork. 



The medicinal uses of the avocado are few. For those suffering from 

 acute rhinitis (cold in the head) the fruit is considered b} T the Kekchi 

 Indians to be an excellent food. The seed is sometimes used as a remedy 

 for dysentery and diarrhea. For this purpose it is pulverized and 

 boiled in a small quantity of water, after which the liquid is taken 

 internally. Its beneficial effect is probably due to tannin, of which 

 the seed contains large quantities. 



The wood of the avocado tree has little value. It is light in color and 

 does not check (crack or split) upon drying. For this reason it is used 



