THE AVOCADO IN GUATEMALA. 39 



somewhat in form from those of the avocado, being as a rule broader 

 and less pointed at the apex. 



The coyo flowers during the same season as the avocado, which 

 in Alta Vera Paz is from February to April. As pointed out by 

 Collins, however, it matures its fruit in less time than the Guate- 

 malan avocado ; hence, coyos are all gone before avocados appear in 

 the market. The flowers of the coyo are borne on shorter and 

 stouter racemes than those of the avocado and are easily distin- 

 guished from the latter by the blotch of deep orange or red at the 

 base of each segment of the perianth; the perianth segments have 

 the appearance of petals, but as the corolla is absent in this species 

 they can not properly be called by this name. All parts of the in- 

 florescence are covered with a heavy pubescence. 



When grown from seed, the coyo seems to come into bearing some- 

 what later than the avocado. While it was impossible to obtain 

 accurate information on this subject, it is the general opinion among 

 Guatemalans that the trees commence to bear when 8 to 10 years 

 old. As with the avocado, all coyo trees in Guatemala are seedlings ; 

 consequently nothing is known concerning the behavior of budded 

 or grafted trees. 



Unquestionably the trees live to great age. Old specimens, how- 

 ever, do not seem to bear so well as younger ones, i. e., those between 

 15 and 30 years of age. 



THE COYO CROP. 



It is noticeable that the coyo, as a general thing, does not produce 

 such heavy crops as the avocado. For this reason coyos, even in a 

 region like that of San Cristobal, where the trees are as plentiful 

 as those of the avocado, are never so abundant in the market as 

 avocados and consequently are never so cheap. It was noticed, how- 

 ever, that an occasional tree produced very heavily. From this it can 

 be assumed that it will be possible to obtain varieties of satisfactory 

 productiveness for cultivation in the United States. 



In the Motagua Valley, at elevations of 500 to 1,500 feet, the coyo 

 ripens from the latter part of June until August, the season thus cor- 

 responding to that of the West Indian race of avocados. In Alta 

 Vera Paz, at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 feet, the season is from July 

 to October, with a few fruits available until the first of December. 

 As in the avocado, there is a certain amount of variation in the 

 season of ripening among different trees. 



When mature, the fruits are picked and placed in the house to 

 ripen. The ripening process requires less time than it does with avo- 

 cados, three or four days usually sufficing. When the fruits yield to 

 pressure of the thumb they are ready for eating and are carried to 

 the market for sale. In San Cristobal they bring 1 to 2 reals each 

 (one-fifth to two-fifths of a cent), while avocados rarely sell in the 

 same town for more than a real and often two for a real. 



