CALIFORNIA AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



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hardiness as compared with the West Indian sorts. The first trees of this 

 race bore in Florida in 1912 and during the last six years budwood of 

 many varieties has been introduced from California. Several trees have 

 already fruited but none of them have been sufficiently tested to determine 

 fully their value in Florida. Fuerte bore for the first time in Florida 

 at the Miami Plant Introduction Station last November and December, 

 where the tree has attracted much attention on account of its exceedingly 

 vigorous growth. The fruits of the first crop were somewhat disappointing 

 in quality, possibly as a result of the excessively rapid growth of the two- 

 year-old tree on which they were borne. Tliis behavior indicates that even 

 the best California varieties must be thoroughly tested for Florida condi- 

 tions. Taft also has fruited once or twice in Florida, ripening from Feb- 

 ruary to May, and is considered worthy of further trial. Taylor is the 

 only Guatemalan variety that has originated in Florida, having been grown 

 from seed at the Miami Station. Its season here is January to April, and 

 it has so far been a fairly profitable variety. Murrieta has fruited 

 in Florida but shows the same tendency of lack of vigor noted in California. 

 A very interesting variety introduced from Guatemala, by way of Hono- 

 lulu, is now fruiting at the Miami Station. This has been propagated re- 

 cently under the name of Beardslee but may have the prior name of Mc- 

 Donald. The first fruits ripen in April and in vigor of tree, lateness of 

 season, and quality, this is considered by Mr. Edward Simmonds, in charge 

 of the station, as one of the most promising of the many varieties which 

 he has tested. 



The Guatemalan varieties, as clearly indicated in the recent Florida 

 freeze, are considerably more frost resistant than the West Indian type. 

 At a temperature of 26° they were for the most part untouched, while 

 West Indian varieties nearby were severely cut back. At 22°, however,,, 

 four-year-old trees of several Guatemalan varieties were killed to the 

 ground, indicating that the average Guatemalan ranks in hardiness about 

 with the lemon. Even a superior hardiness of 2 to 4 degrees would prove 

 of great advantage in extending avocado culture to parts of Florida too 

 cold for the West Indian race. Moreover, there is a much greater vari- 

 ation of frost resistance among Guatemalan than among West Indian vari- 

 eties, and some, — Fuerte and Puebla for example, — promise to be much 

 hardier than the average. No attempts have been made so far to protect 

 Florida avocado groves by firing; doubtless because the frosts in that state, 

 while severe, appear only at long intervals of ten years or more. 



The factor of late season interests Florida growers fully as much as 

 hardiness. In Florida the Guatemalans mature from one to three months 

 earlier than the same varieties in California. With the Guatemalan sea- 

 son from December to May, and with the West Indian ripening from 

 July to January, Florida growers expect to harvest avocados practically 

 every month in the year. At the present time Guatemalan varieties may 

 be considered as very promising for Florida although the most conservative 

 growers and nurserymen fully realize that they must be more fully tested 

 before they can be extensively planted. 



Mexican Race 



Mexican varieties have never attracted much attention in Florida, 

 the few Mexican trees in that state being seedlings bearing very inferior 



