10 



REPORT OF THE FIRST SEMI-AXXUAE INFEETIXG 



The tree is a strong groAver and suffers less from die-1]»ack than 

 Trapp. 



Beyond Trapp and Pollock there are no varieties cultivated 

 on a commercial scale. Quite a number of good avocados have 

 appeared within the past 10 years, and some of them have been 

 propagated to a limited extent, but the demand has been for a fruit 

 which would ripen late, and Trapp has been the only one to meet 

 this demand. One who w^ants a good summer fruit, however, can 

 choose between a number of good varieties, smaller than Pollock, 

 but more prolific. AA^ester is one of the best of these, but it is a 

 maroon-colored fruit, and there is strong prejudice among some 

 of the growers against reddish or purple fruits, if they are to be 

 marketed. Mr. Cellon has persistently affirmed that a purple 

 avocado would not go in northern markets, and he will not give 

 serious consideration to a variety of this color. Cardinal is another 

 good summer fruit, of an attractive bright crimson-red color. 

 Family has been propagated to a certain extent, more at Palm 

 Beach than at Miami, I believe. It commences to ripen early but 

 carries some fruits w^ell toward the end of the season. It is prolific, 

 but is generally considered to be very much below the standard 

 in quality. 



The question is often asked : AMiich section grows the best 

 avocados, Florida or California? No doubt the reply to this is 

 largely a matter of personal preference ; to some palates the South 

 American type may be preferable, to others one of the types grown 

 in California. I do not believe the question can be answered in 

 few words. Personally, I do not consider the South American 

 seedlings, grow^n in Florida and Cuba, nearly as good, oil the 

 average, as the Guatemalan seedlings grown in California. A 

 fruit such as Pollock, however, certainly puts a somewhat dift'er- 

 ent aspect on the thing. Comparing the South American and 

 Guatemalan types, one finds that the latter is characterized by a 

 slightly richer, more nutty flavor, on the Avhole, and I prefer it 

 to any other. I had an opportunity to test it under favorable 

 conditions at Miami last spring, and I believe that the best Cali- 

 fornia varieties, such as Taft and Blakeman, will be of just as good 

 quality when grow^n in Florida as they are here in California. This 

 question has sometimes been argued on a rather unsound basis, 

 I think ; it is Jiot so much a question of whether the South Amer- 



