56 



ANNUAL REPORT 3 919 AND 1920 



AVOCADO PROGRAM— 1919-20 

 Some of the things to be aimed at: 



1 . Increase Membership to 300. 



2. Study marketing problems, 



( 1 ) Steps to assist members in sale of fruit. 



(2) Steps toward elimination of marketing unfit fruit. 



(3) Study how to pack for shipment. 



(4) Standardize sale prices of varieties. 



3. Continue study of varieties. 



4. Co-operation of Rockefeller Institute in investigating uses of avocado 

 for medicinal purposes. 



5. Extend Educational Campaign, 



( 1 ) Leaflet on "Avocado as Food." 



(2) Leaflet on "How to Select a Good Avocado and Prepare for 

 the Table." 



(3) Prepared articles in press. 



(4) Reprint, "The Avocado From Seed-time to Harvest." 



6. Directors' Field Day for visits to groves. 



7. Exhibit of Fruit at best season. 



8. Encourage keeping of individual tree records. 



9. Steps toward securing qualified man for sub-tropical fruit investigations. 



It will be interesting to the members to hear what has been accomplished in 

 some of these directions. 



1 . MembeTship : With a membership of 1 6 1 two years ago and 2 1 6 last 

 year, it was felt that we might reasonably seek to attain the 300 mark this year. 

 And it is a pleasure to report that we attained it. There are now enrolled 301 

 bona fide members in addition to 8 honorary members. This increase of new 

 members for the year, breaks all our previous records. Most of the additions are 

 secured by the work of the Secretary through correspondence, and by appeals 

 at the semi-annual meetings. Other methods suggestive of the "campaign" or 

 "drive," have been tried from time to time, but with little or no success. The 

 Secretary is the mainspring in this matter because his position is constantly giving 

 him the opportunity to present personal invitations to unite with the Association. 

 In my judgment no secretary should be retained in office who will let the paying 

 membership fall below the 300 mark now set, for the Association depends for its 

 financial support almost entirely upon the income from membershif>s. And we 

 should not delude ourselves by allowing inviting propositions to lead us into spend- 

 ing more than our income in the vain hope of securing much more money thru 

 additional memberships, for the constituency upon which we have to draw is 

 limited and is likely to remain so. 



2. Marketing Problems: Your directors have discussed the marketing of 

 unfit fruit which has been brought to their attention. The abuse consists in dump- 

 ing upon the market quantities of fruit blown down by the wind and in offering 

 green fruit for sale. These appear to be individual matters which will be regu- 

 lated by conscience and the laws of business, and eventually, when the supply of 



