Pomona College Journal of Economic Botany 



5 



fruits, it being the belief that they are richer and of better flavor than the 

 larger varieties. 



They are also somewhat hardier than the larger varieties and would 

 probably be valuable in locations where the latter would not thrive. 



For home use these varieties will always be desirable, but as a commercial 

 fruit they are out of the question altogether. They are too thin skinned to 

 stand shipment, and would probably not take at all in American markets in 

 competition with the larger, thick skinned fruits. 



A few varieties of Mexican origin and green in color are now grown 

 here which are larger than the purple varieties, but these also are thin 

 skinned and of little more value commercially than the purple ones, although 

 the quality is all that could be desired in some cases. To be profitable 

 commercially, the fruit will have to be thick and tough skinned, so as to stand 

 shipment, and as yet no Mexican variety which has fruited here has this 

 quality. 



Outside of the Mexican varieties the only other type known to have 

 successfully fruited here is the Guatemalan. The trees of this type are prob- 

 ably all descendants of the old Miller tree, the seed of which was brought 

 from Guatemala and planted at Hollywood over twenty-five years ago. Nu- 

 merous seedlings have been grown from this tree, several of which are 

 now bearing. The Walker tree is the best known of these, and is the most 

 prolific tree known here, its crop every year running into the thousands. 

 From the behavior of these trees it seems certain that this type is admirably 

 adapted to this climate, a fact of the greatest importance to the future of the 

 industry here. 



In his bulletin on the avocado, Collins speaks of the avocados of Guatemala 

 as forming a very distinct group, the most peculiar characteristic of which 

 is the unusual thickness and toughness of the skin, and he considers them 

 the most promising of all types from a commercial standpoint. It is particu- 

 larly fortunate, then, that this type has been tested here and its adaptability 

 proved, for the way has been paved for the introduction of numerous forms 

 of the type with practical assurance of success. Another noteworthy point 

 in regard to this type is the fact that all of the local trees are spring bearers, 

 this point alone making them of great value. Being spring bearers their 

 blooming season is considerably later than the fall bearing Mexican sorts, 

 so that danger of the crop being destroyed by late frosts is almost eliminated. 

 Already we have several varieties of this type that are well worth growing, 

 of which the Lyon is the most promising, it being the finest avocado yet 

 produced in California, of good size and excellent quality. This variety 

 has just come into bearing, and therefore is little known as yet, but its pro- 

 lificacy and good qualities promise to place it in the lead of the local varieties. 

 The trees of the Guatemalan type are easily distinguished from those of the 

 Mexican type because more spreading, particularly when young, and the 

 leaves are more lanceolate. 



It has been the general impression that the South American type which is 

 grown in Florida would not succeed here, but this remains to be proved. 



