20 BULLETIN 743, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



To what elevations in Guatemala do the climates of southern Cali- 

 fornia and southern Florida correspond? It appears that the cli- 

 mate at 6,000 to 7,000 feet in Guatemala corresponds very closely in 

 so far as its effect upon the development and ripening of avocados is 

 concerned to that of the citrus-growing regions of California. The 

 maximum temperature may not be as high as in California, but the 

 time required for avocados to develop and ripen appears to be about 

 the same. Southern Florida, on the other hand, seems more nearly 

 to approximate an elevation of 3,000 to 4,000 feet in Guatemala. 



If an avocado which ripens at Senahu (3,200 feet) from November 

 to February is planted in California, it would be an error to assume 

 that it will ripen during the same months in that State. It w T ould 

 probably be at least three months later, making its season January to 

 April. If planted in Florida, however, it would be expected to ripen 

 only slightly later than at Senahu. 



In any given section of the Guatemalan highlands nearly all avo- 

 cados ripen at approximately the same season. Very early or very 

 late varieties are exceedingly rare. Considering Antigua as an exam- 

 ple, out of the hundreds in that region only a very few trees were 

 found which commenced to ripen their fruits in October and Novem- 

 ber. Most of the trees do not begin to ripen any fruits until late in 

 February, and the height of the season is during March, April, and 

 May. 



The length of time avocados will remain on the tree after they have 

 reached maturity depends mainly upon two factors: (1) The variety 

 and (2) the condition of the soil as regards moisture. Some trees 

 carry their fruits much longer than others in the same location. In 

 very moist regions, such as Senahu, however, no trees carry fruit 

 after maturity for as many months as the trees of Antigua, a much 

 drier section. At Senahu rainfall is abundant from November to 

 February, and avocados fall quickly after reaching maturity. At 

 Antigua it is quite dry from November to May, and after that it is not 

 excessively moist until August. As a result many trees carry their 

 fruits until late in July. 



The earliest varieties, as a rule, are of inferior quality, not having 

 the rich flavor possessed by some of the later sorts. Occasionally an 

 early variety of satisfactory quality is encountered. The very best 

 avocados in point of flavor are the midseason and late sorts when they 

 have been allowed to hang on the tree three or four months after 

 reaching maturity. 



PICKING, RIPENING, AND MARKETING THE FRUIT. 



When is an avocado ripe ? Because of the fact that the fruit does 

 not soften while it remains on the tree, or in the case of green-fruited 

 varieties change its color appreciably upon maturing, it is often dim- 



