CAT.TFORNLV AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



41 



ican type is as good as the Guatemalan type, as it is a question of 

 whether Florida will produce as good fruits of a given variety as 

 California. Of course, the same variety when grown under widely 

 different conditions will often exhibit slight differences of texture, 

 color or flavor, but I do not believe that the difference between 

 Florida grown and California grown avocados of the Guatemalan 

 type are going to be great enough to merit attention.. 



Questions on the subject matter of the above paper elicited 

 the following from Mr. Popenoe : That the Trapp bears heavily 

 in Florida, and that they prune very little. The trees are stocky 

 and dwarfed in stature, — a ten year old tree there being no larger 

 than a five year old tree in California, — and it is customary to plant 

 about seventy trees to the acre. Practically no irrigation is used. 



On being questioned about it, Mr. Popenoe produced a Trapp 

 fruit which he described as having a thick leathery skin, not hard 

 like the thick skins of California, but pliable, yellowish green in 

 color when ripe, smooth meat of good flavor, but with a compara- 

 tively large seed which is loose in the cavity in about one-half of 

 the fruits. The tree blooms from November to March, and fruit 

 is marketed in summer. 



As to experiences of the Florida growers, he thinks they will 

 be of little value to the California growers, on account of the dif- 

 ference in soil and climatic conditions. Their trees are often grown 

 on soil only one foot in depth. The young trees will stand a 

 temperature of 30 to 32 degrees, older ones about 28 without being 

 hurt. 



Supply and Demand 



Queries brought out the fact that the supply of good fruit never 

 equaled the demand. In the Trapp season there has by no means 

 been an excessive supply, and at present they are the greatest source 

 of commercial fruit. California has an open field in the eastern 

 markets from January to July when Florida Trapps are not in 

 competition, but the latter state may come in later with a Guata- 

 malan variety. 



The avocado is produced now the whole year round, but Mr. 

 Popenoe could think of no hard shelled fruit ripening in California 

 in January or February. 



