CALIFORNIA AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



69 



pointed, for all the good fruit that can be raised will be used, in many- 

 ways, but probably not for individual service in the hotels that set the 

 pace in these matters. 



But it would seem, that though the extra large avocado, so mouth- 

 watering to behold, will be apt to carry off the prizes at beauty shows, 

 yet it may not win in the race for popularity and standardization. It 

 will be wanted for occasions, and by the avocado eater of great fond- 

 ness and capacity — God bless him! One of the latter remarked to me, 

 as he sat before a 32 oz. dear darling: "The big alligator often reminds 

 me of what the old Virginia preacher remarked about the turkey: 'It's 

 a rather inconvenient bird; too large for one, and not enough for 

 two.' " 



SECOND: What form of fruit is most desirable for that trade? 

 Most people in thinking of the avocado, picture in their minds a pear, 

 not knowing that it takes on other forms. I was interested in tabulat- 

 ing the great variety of shapes specified by Mr. Popenoe, in his much 

 used booklet on "Varieties of the Avocado," descriptive of the various 

 shapes now in California. I found that he used forty-three different 

 terms — all in the English language, too. 



The grower desires to raise the round fruit because it packs and 

 ships well. But the hotel-man perversely prefers the pear shaped. The 

 term, to him, permits of some variation, but does not include the 

 gourd shaped, or even the round. 



He wants it probably because he has become accustomed to it. But 

 he will, eventually, accept the spherical fruit, and learn to handle it, be- 

 cause so many of the coming avocados will be round. It will be ac- 

 ceptable by reason of its safe carriage and short time from tree to table. 



And yet, there is usually some philosophy in his likes. Here are 

 several of his reasons: 



1st: In a clean bodied, pear shaped fruit, free from fibre, the 

 flesh is deeper and richer where it thickens toward the neck. 



2nd: In eating the avocado on the half shell, any fruit having 

 even a semblance of an end on it can be held easier on the plate, while 

 spooning. 



3rd: The gourd like fruit is apt to be bruised in its soft neck in 

 shipping. 



4th: The thin skinned fruit, delicious to the taste, does make a 

 mess of itself in public, and finger bowls are out of fashion. 

 THIRD: What colored fruit do they prefer? 



The hotelman will usually select a fruit that is, or will be colored, 

 other than green, when ready to serve, knowing that, to the uninitiated, 

 green is suggestive of unripeness — like that little young wifie who went to 

 the market to get her poor hubby some lobsters. She rejected the green 

 ones, insisting on getting some that were fully ripe. 



This is by no means a prejudice but merely a preference that will 

 soon disappear when the splendid green fruits become more aboundant and 

 the guests more educated. 



FOURTH: Do hotels, generally, call the fruit alligator pear, or 

 avocado ? 



