PREFACE 



The California Avocado Association was organized at an adver- 

 tised meeting held May 15, 1915, at the Alexandria Hotel in- Los 

 Angeles. At that meeting directors were elected and tentative by- 

 laws formulated. At a subsequent meeting of the directors, the 

 present officers were elected and committees appointed, and definite 

 steps were taken to place the Association on a sound basis. 



This meeting held October 23, 1915, is one of the first results 

 of the perfected organization. Semi-annual exhibition meetings 

 will be held hereafter at times that will give the best opportunity 

 to acquaint the public with the different varieties of avocados and 

 their value. These meetings will also afford opportunities to the 

 growers to exchange information gained by experiments, and to 

 hear papers prepared by experts who are making a deep study of 

 the industry. 



Exhibits 



A great variety of thin skinned avocados were displayed, of 

 which at least two were small, seedless types. A large portion were 

 promising seedlings, some of which may have a bright future in 

 a commercial way. Other varieties that have been the staple thin 

 skins for some time, were shown in abundance. 



Several budded nursery trees of different varieties were 

 exhibited. They were dormant buds of late fall of 1914, beginning 

 to grow in the spring of 1915. With seven months' growth these 

 buds had made beautiful, well formed, strong stocked trees of an 

 exceptionally vigorous growth, averaging about five feet in height. 



A box of thin skinned fruit, containing several varieties, was 

 placed on display after having been shipped to Chicago and return. 

 Different methods of packing were used in this shipment, some of 

 them with poor results, still it demonstrated that some of the thin 

 skinned type, properly packed, would stand such a shipment without 

 injury. 



The mid-day display of prepared avocado dishes was worthy 

 the fruit it introduced. Sliced avocados, dainty avocado sand- 

 wiches, avocado cocktails and mixed avocado salads, with beautiful 

 decorations, and in quantities sufficient to give everybody a gen- 

 erous sample, held the attention of even the initiated. 



Little folders, with recipes for the preparation of a large number 

 of avocado dishes, were distributed, and these may be had free at 

 any time by applying to the offices of the Association. 



