THE AVOCADO IN GUATEMALA. 49 



numerous rather large yellowish dots ; skin one-sixteenth of an inch thick, 

 slightly thicker over some portions of the fruit, coarsely granular, and brit- 

 tle ; flesh of an unusually rich yellow color, changing to pale green near the 

 skin, free from fiber or discoloration, and of very rich flavor; quality ex- 

 cellent; seed very small in proportion to the size of the fruit, oblate, weighing 

 2 ounces, tight in the cavity, with both seed coats adhering closely to the 

 cotyledons, which are slightly rough for this race. 



CHISOY. (No. 11.) S. P. I. No. 43935. 



As a commercial variety the Chisoy avocado seems to be particu- 

 ] irly promising. In form and size it is almost identical with the 

 Trapp avocado of Florida, but it has a smaller seed. The quality is 

 excellent, and the tree has borne two heavy crops in succession, 

 which indicates that it will probably be as satisfactory in produc- 

 tiveness as any in the series. Taken all around, the Chisoy variety 

 seems to be one of the best. 



The parent tree is growing in the cafetal (coffee plantation) of 

 Senor Don Eusebio de la Cruz, in the town of San Cristobal. The 

 elevation is 4,550 feet. Eusebio de la Cruz is the alcalde, or mayor, 

 of San Cristobal and owns coffee plantations containing many 

 avocado trees, but he always reserves the fruits of this particular 

 tree for his private consumption and to present to his friends. 

 Beneath the broad-spreading branches of this tree are numerous 

 large coffee bushes, which benefit by the shade cast by the avocado. 

 The soil is a heavy blackish clay loam, of excellent fertility. No 

 one knows the exact age of the tree; it is very large and probably 

 very old. Fifty years can be considered the minimum. It is fully 

 50 feet high, with a broadly 'spreading much-branched crown which 

 is 60 feet in diameter. The trunk* of tha tree is 4 feet thick at the 

 base. It branches about 12 feet above the ground. The growth 

 seems to be vigorous, though the young branchlets are not so long 

 as they would be if the tree were much younger. The wood is no 

 more brittle than the average, and the branchlets are well. formed 

 and stout. The bud wood furnished by this tree is good ; owing to the 

 age of the tree the twigs are not so long as would be desired for most 

 convenient handling, but the eyes are well formed and show no 

 tendency to drop at an early stage. 



The hardiness of the variety can not be ascertained, since there 

 is no frost in San Cristobal. Until subjected to cold weather in the 

 United States it can only be assumed that the variety is of average 

 hardiness for the Guatemalan race. 



The flowering season is slightly later than the average, the tree 

 being in full bloom on April 1, 1917. The crop produced from the 

 1916 bloom was very large. No count could be obtained, but it may 

 be said that the bearing habits of the tree, as indicated by the 1916 

 and 1917 crops, seem highly satisfactory. In spite of the heavy 

 79774°— 19— Bull. 743 4. 



