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ANNUAL REPORT 1919 AND 1920 



richness till April, and seldom beginning to drop before May. It has been held 

 on the trees into August, but April is its best season. Green rind, yellow meat 

 and nearly round in shape, slightly one-sided, but hardly enough to notice. 



There is a seedling from this which has not as yet been named, that was line- 

 grafted onto an old stump by Prof. P. H. Relfs at his place at Buena Vista so 

 that in two years it fruited. The fruit ripened last November, and in shape was 

 an exact reproduction of the parent but nearly three times as large. The rind 

 was smooth, like the West Indian type, and this, taken with the season of maturity 

 and large size, makes it seem probable that it is a natural hybrid, as the parent 

 tree was surrounded by West Indian trees all in bloom when it was set. 



Mexican stock does not thrive in South Florida sand, and most of the trees 

 brought in from California being on this root, have failed to succeed. On West 

 Indian stock they do very well and in the middle and northern parts of the state 

 where there is a clay subsoil, seedlings of this type seem very much at home. 



Of the California introductions Harman produces a small fruit, with a 

 glossy greenish-purple surface and loose seed. The cream-yellow flesh is of fine 

 buttery quality and rich flavor. It is a good grower and heavy bearer, ripening 

 in July and August. 



San Sebastian on West Indian roots is a tremendous grower and ripens its 

 fruit in June and July when good fruit is scarce. It is a good bearer of excellent 

 quahty; though averaging small ( 1 to 11 oz., sometimes 13) it is well 

 worthy of extensive planting, particularly in the colder sections. 



Gottfried is a seedling of Mexican type that was grown from a seed sent 

 from South America. The original tree is enormous and the fruit is the largest 

 of the Mexican type that we know of. It averages about a pound, and runs up to 

 20 oz. Pear shaped, purpHsh-black, seed inclined to be loose, and skin peeling 

 readily. In quality it is excellent, free from fibre or essential oil flavor, rich and 

 smooth, yellow meat; season August. 



SOME IMPORTANT INSECTS WHICH ATTACK THE AVOCADO 



IN FLORIDA* 



G. F. MOZNETTE, 

 Entomological Inspector, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Miami, Florida 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



There are a number of insects which attack the avocado in Florida, and 

 their presence may cause considerable concern to growers of this fruit. Up to 

 this time, Guatemalan varieties have shown that the same general type of insects 

 which attack the West Indian varieties will adapt themselves to the hardier Guata- 

 malan varieties as well. The avocado in Florida serves as a host for various insect 

 pests subject to varying changes of temperature as far as their activities are con- 

 cerned, which possibly would not attack the avocado in a more northern latitude. 

 Some of these insect pests may have been introduced, while others may have 

 always been present in Florida and have adapted themselves to the avocado as a 

 host. 



Like most fruits which have their particular scale pests, the avocado has its 

 destructive scale insect. What the San Jose scale is to the apple and pear, and 

 the red and purple scale is to the orange and grapefruit, the Dictyospermum scale 

 is to the avocado in Florida. The scales vary from light grayish-white to reddish 



♦Published by permission of the Secretary of Agriculture. 



