60 



1917 ANNUAL REPORT 



than the Sharpless, it matures at a time when there are no other desirable 

 fruits in the market. 



As the last of the Fuertes are being harvested, the first Surprise 

 fruits begin to ripen. But for one characteristic, this variety would 

 be pronounced ideal. The Surprise has been reported as only averaging 

 1 per cent fat. In former years this variety has been picked too soon, 

 and as the analyses were undoubtedly made when the fruits were imma- 

 ture, this probably accounts for the low oil content. I tasted a Surprise 

 fruit in February and another in March. Both of them had the typical 

 sweet, watery, almost sickening flavor of an unripe avocado. Another 

 fruit harvested in April had a fairly rich taste, and I believe the analyses 

 which are now being made will show the Surprise ranking well in its oil 

 content. The original tree is owned by Mr. C. F. Wagner, Fountain 

 and Fairfax streets, Hollywood, and bore 1 fruit in 1915. The tree was 

 seven years old at that time. It had 8 1 fruits in 1916 and has 300 or 

 more this year. They average 20 ounces in weight, are pear-shaped, have 

 a small seed, and are free from fiber. Even though the Surprise does not 

 develop a high oil content, if allowed to remain on the tree as late as June, 

 because of its beautiful exterior appearance and size, it will have to be 

 ranked as a standard avocado for many years to come. 



Some people no doubt would advocate the substituting of the Lyon 

 for the Surprise. The Lyon is the most precocious avocado we have 

 in California, and in many cases the trees literally bear themselves 

 to death. This condition can be remedied by thinning the fruit the first 

 two years, the best demonstration of this being in the Joseph Sexton plant- 

 ing at Goleta. The fruits average over a pound in weight, have a fairly 

 rich oil content, a medium size seed, and show a slight trace of fiber. 

 The tree has the habit of growing like a telegraph pole with no branching. 

 This makes it unsuitable for a standard orchard planting. However, it 

 has a distinct place, I believe, as a filler. If standard varieties, such as the 

 Sharpless, Surprise, and Spinks, are planted in rows 24 feet apart and at 

 intervals of 30 feet in the row, the Lyon trees could be planted as fillers 

 so that they would be 1 5 feet from the standard trees. Because of their 

 habit of growth, they could be left in the orchard for six, seven or possibly 

 ten years, without materially interfering with the development of the other 

 trees. One three-year-old Lyon tree in Mr. T. N. Beck's orchard. La 

 Habra, had over 60 fruits this year. If this tree should annually average 

 this production for the next three years, it would be a very profitable filler 

 in any avocado orchard. 



A-nother spring fruit that merits further study is the Monroe. The 

 fruits are smaller than the Surprise, have a larger seed, and show more 

 fiber in the flesh than the latter, but have a higher oil content. 



Next in the order of maturing is the Spinks, the original trees of 

 which are owned by Mr. W. A. Spinks of Duarte. Although these trees 

 have been severely cut for budwood, they are bearing heavy crops this 

 year. The season of this variety now appears to be from May to August, 

 and a two-year-old topworked tree in the Spinks planting this year gives 

 every indication of holding its fruits even later than this. The fruits weigh 

 considerably over a pound, are oval to slightly pyriform in shape, and turn 

 purple when mature. Of the desirable varieties, young trees of the Spinks 



