58 BULLETIN" 743, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



the fruits change from green to purple and thus indicate their ma- 

 turity, to May, when the last ones fall to the ground. It is a midsea- 

 son sort, commencing to ripen a trifle earlier, perhaps, than the 

 average. 



The fruit is broadly obovoid to pear shaped, about 20 ounces in 

 weight, with a rough surface of rich purplish maroon color. It pre- 

 sents a very attractive appearance. The skin is rather thin and 

 somewhat pliable, but coarsely granular in texture. The flesh is 

 rich cream yellow in color, free from discoloration, and of very rich, 

 pleasant flavor. The seed is medium sized and tight in the cavity. 



A formal description of the fruit is as follows : 



Form broad pyriform to obovoid ; size very large, weight 20 ounces, length 5 

 inches, greatest breadth 3| inches ; base pointed, the stem inserted obliquely 

 without depression ; apex rounded, slightly depressed immediately around the 

 stigmatic point ; surface pebbled to rather rough, deep purplish maroon in 

 color, almost glossy, with few inconspicuous light-colored dots ; skin rather 

 thin for this race, about one-sixteenth of an inch throughout, fairly pliable and 

 peeling from the flesh when fully ripe, the purplish maroon color of the sur- 

 face extending clear through the skin ; flesh rich cream yellow in color, chang- 

 ing to pale green close to the skin, firm, of rich flavor ; quality excellent ; seed 

 medium sized, weighing about 3 ounces, roundish conical in form, tight in the 

 cavity, with both seed coats adhering closely to the cotyledons. 



KEKCHI. (No. 22-) S. P. I. No. 44679. 



The remarkable little fruit of the Kekchi avocado (PI. XIX) is 

 valuable not only for its earliness and good quality, but the tree is also 

 noted for its productiveness. The fruit commences to ripen in Decem- 

 ber, at least two months before most of the other avocados of the same 

 region. Though small in size, the seed is proportionately small, leav- 

 ing a good proportion of flesh of rich flavor. The variety has a long 

 ripening season, which suggests its use as an avocado for the home 

 garden. 



The parent tree is growing in a sitio belonging to Santiago Men- 

 doza in the town of Purula, Department of Baja Vera Paz. The ele- 

 vation is approximately 5,150 feet. The soil is a heavy clay loam. 

 The tree stands on a slope, in the midst of a small maize patch. It 

 is about 35 feet in height, with a trunk 2 feet thick at the base, branch- 

 ing about 10 feet from the ground. The crown is broad and spread- 

 ing, but sparsely branched. Judging from the size of the tree it 

 must be at least 30 or 40 years old. It seems to be a vigorous grower, 

 the branchlets being stout, well formed, and of good length. The 

 bud wood is quite satisfactory, having well-developed eyes which do 

 not show a tendency to drop and leave a blind bud. The tree is un- 

 cared for and has much dead wood in it. 



While Purula is scarcely higher than Antigua, it has a colder 

 climate. It is not, however, sufficiently cold to test the hardiness of 

 avocados of the Guatemalan race. 



