52 BULLETIN 143, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



cream color, changing to pale green near the skin, free from fiber, and of very- 

 rich flavor ; quality excellent ; seed rather small, conical, weighing about l£ 

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



NABAL. (No. 15.) S. P. I. No. 44439. 



For productiveness combined with desirable form and excellent 

 quality of fruit, the Nabal variety (PL XV) seems particularly 

 worthy of trial in the United States. While not a large avocado, 

 it is excellent in every way, having a smooth, green surface, rich 

 yellow flesh of good flavor, and a seed not unduly large in compari- 

 son with the size of the fruit. In addition, it seems to be slightly 

 earlier in season than the average. 



In June, 1917, the parent tree was accidentally destroyed by a 

 laborer who was planting coffee. It stood among coffee bushes in 

 the finca Santa Lucia, 7a Calle Poniente, near the Alameda de Santa 

 Lucia, Antigua. The soil in this finca is a rich black sandy loam 

 of volcanic origin, deep and apparently very fertile. The tree was 

 young, probably not more than 6 or 7 years old. It stood about 25 

 feet high, with a trunk 6 inches in diameter at the base, branching 

 10 feet from the ground. The crown was open, scantily branched, 

 with little fruiting wood. The young growths were strong, stout, 

 vigorous, and the bud wood was excellent, having large vigorous 

 eyes. The variety should not be difficult to propagate, and the in- 

 dications are that it will be a good grower, though it is impossible 

 to speak with certainty in regard to the latter point. The wood 

 is rather tough for an avocado. 



The elevation of Antigua, 5,100 feet, is not great enough to insure 

 unusual hardiness in a variety, but it seems reasonable to expect that 

 varieties from this elevation will be as hardy as the average of the 

 Guatemalan race. There is no way of determining whether they may 

 be hardier than the average until they are tested in the United States. 



The parent tree did not flower in 1917. Since flowers are nearly 

 always produced at the same time as the spring flush of growth, 

 however, it may be suspected that the flowering season of the variety 

 will be rather late, since the spring growth did not appear this sea- 

 son until the end of March. The heavy crop of fruit produced last 

 year probably prevented the tree from flowering this season. When 

 first examined, in October, 1916, the tree was carrying more than 300 

 fruits. It ripened this crop — an unusually large one for such a small 

 tree when the size of the fruit is considered — in February and March, 

 1917, at which time all the fruits were picked. They would probably 

 have remained on the tree until June if they had been allowed to 

 do so. 



The fruit of this Variety is nearly spherical in form, of convenient 

 size for serving a half fruit as a portion. It weighs 10 ounces or a 

 little more. The surface is smooth, bright green, very attractive in 



