Pomona College Journal of Economic Botany 13 



THE FUTURE OF THE AVOCADO IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 



It may seem a strong statement to say that within the next quarter of a 

 century the avocado will rank with the orange as a commercial fruit in 

 Southern California. But there is a strong foundation of fact underlying 

 this statement and the reasons seem sufficient, indeed, to warrant the belief 

 that it may become even more important. 



First, the adaptability of the avocado to this climate has been proved 

 beyond the possibility of a doubt. There are one hundred or more trees 

 now in bearing, ranging in age from three to twenty-five years, scattered 

 over the southern end of the state from the cool sea coast to the hot and 

 dry interior. These trees embrace a number of widely different types, sizes 

 and characters of fruits. This test of adaptability ought to be sufficient to 

 satisfy the most skeptical. 



Second, the food value of the fruit is the main basis for the above state- 

 ment. It presents in a most easily digested and assimilated form as high as 

 12 to 18^ of fat. which places the fruit in a class with the staple food products, 

 instead of being a mere luxury as is the case with many fruits. The taste 

 for the avocado is not always acquired upon first trial, but a few repetitions are 

 usually sufficient to make any one extremely fond of it. The price is now 

 prohibitive to most, and only a few have had opportunity to acquire the 

 taste, but as the production becomes greater and the price lower, an almost 

 unlimited demand will be created throughout the whole country. It is. of 

 course, universally known as one of the most important staple fruits through- 

 out the tropics and subtropics of the world. 



Culture of the fruit in this country will be restricted to limited areas in 

 Florida and Southern California, and consequently the danger of overpro- 

 duction will be practically eliminated. As rapidly as price and production 

 permit, the avocado will become an important and indispensable part of the 

 daily food of the majority of the people of the United States. 



LIST OF VARIETIES 



known in California, arranged according to general characters and possible 

 usage : 



For winter fruiting: Lyon. 



For late fall fruiting: White. Ganter. 



For late summer and early fall fruiting: Harman, Fowler. Chappelow, 

 Blake. 



For spring fruiting: Walker. Miller. 

 Large varieties : Lyon, Miller. 



Small to medium varieties : White. Walker. Harman, Ganter. Fowler, 

 Chappelow. Blake. 



Best varieties for shipping: Lyon, Walker. Miller. 



Best varieties for local use only : Ganter. Chappelow. Fowler. Blake. Harman. 

 Most prolific varieties: Walker, Ganter, Lyon. 



