G. P. TT. Collection. . Plate II 



Pcrsca grafissiina . 



AVOCADO. 



This spreading evergreen tree is a native of Tropical America. 

 In the Hawaiian Islands, the first trees of its kind were said to 

 have been planted in Pauoa V'alley, Oahu, by Don Marin. It at- 

 tains a height of from 10 to 40 feet, and is adverse to drought. 

 Its leaves are elliptico-oblong, from 4 to 7 inches in length. The 

 flowers are greenish-yellow and downy. The fruit, which ripens 

 from June until November, is a round or pear-shaped drupe, 

 covered with a thin, rather tough skin, which is either green or 

 purple in color. The flesh is yellow, firm and marrow-like, and 

 has a delicious nutty flavor. The seed-cavity is generall}' large, 

 containing one round or oblong seed, covered by a thin, brown, 

 parchment-like skin. The quality of the pear is judged, not only 

 by its flavor, but by the presence or absence of strings or fibre 

 in the meat, and also by the quantity of flesh as compared to the 

 size of the seed. Innumerable variations as to size, shape, and 

 quality have been ]3roduced from seedling.s — some of which may 

 be seen in the accompanying illustration. The Avocado is easily 

 reproduced by budding and grafting, and the best varieties may 

 be obtained in this manner. 



