84 



ANNUAL REPORT 1918 AND 1919 



1 893, and for more than two months thereafter, I received from him ship- 

 ment of paguas, which were received through the Express Company in good 

 condition. Later, however, he began to ship me aguacates, which, owing 

 to the heat in crossing the desert, reached me in such bad condition, that for 

 the future, I ordered only the thick skin variety which I was convinced by 

 experience were the only ones fit for the importation in this way, and the 

 most interesting fruit for commercial purposes. I planted the seeds from 

 this fruit and my friends, noting the beauty of the trees and later the fine- 

 ness of the fruit, became also interested. This fruit, which was hitherto 

 almost unknown here, became much better known. 



Later I gave my friends both seeds and young plants. I recall Mr. 

 Cecil C. R. Sumner of Hollywood who owned the place now owned by 

 Mr. Walker. No doubt the trees given to Mr. Sumner produced the 

 Royal, Challenge and the Walker Prolific. I also remember Mr. R. M. 

 Pogson of Hollywood has planted several of the trees given to him and 

 Mr. Habersham of the same place, the seeds given to him producing the 

 Dickey No. 1 and No. 2, and the Blakeman. Mr. Taft of Orange was 

 much impressed by the fruit grown on my home place and took buds from 

 the best trees that I had on my place. Mr. Garcia, whose place is at the 

 foot of the mountain, east of the place of Mr. W. A. Spinks, was delighted 

 to see the fruit on the trees at my place and bought buds from all the trees 

 and made a great success in producing the best fruit in California. Popenoe 

 of Altadena obtained buds from several of the trees which I had grown 

 from seeds. Mr. E. S. Thacher of Nordhoff, Ventura County, took great 

 interest in the aguacate fruit and when he found the good quality of fruit 

 that I had on College St., raised from fruit imported from Mexico, bought 

 a great many buds from the Murrieta Green and Murrieta Purple. 



It has been a great pleasure to me to watch the progress of this favor- 

 ite fruit, and I am glad of the great interest that this Association has taken 

 in this matter. No doubt with the help and careful attention in this new 

 enterprise from this Association, great benefit will be not only to Southern 

 California, but also to the people that may select the new idea to raise this 

 magnificent, interesting and profitable avocado. 



Any experience I may have gained in developing this new industry, 

 I shall be more than happy to help this Association with. I feel sure that 

 failure of the tree in some instances to meet expectation, is largely the result 

 of inattention or one of knowledge as to the needs in a climate to which it 

 is foreign. 



DISCUSSION OF MR. MURRIETA'S PAPER 

 By C. p. Taft of Orange 



I would like to say a few words of appreciation of Mr. Murrieta*s 

 paper. Perhaps not all of us realize how much we are indebted to him as 

 one of the pioneers of the avocado industry. In addition to growing trees 

 of his own and producing such valuable varieties as those grouped together 

 and called the Murrietas, he has from time to time distributed quantities 

 of the best obtainable seed from Mexico. On two occasions I obtained 

 such seed from him. Of the first lot probably the Sharpless was the best. 

 I sold the young tree to Mr. Gockly who was the owner of the Sharpless 



