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1917 ANNUAL REPORT 



tions, and in addition one can judge from the altitude that it does not be- 

 come very cold. 



Not far from Antigua, the village of Amatitlan, close to the lake of 

 the same name, possesses excellent avocados, some of them appearing to 

 ripen earlier than would be expected at this elevation, — approximately 

 4000 feet. As will be explained later on, the ripening season in Guate- 

 mala is largely dependent upon altitude. 



Westward from Guatemala City, the valley of Panajachel, on the 

 shore of Lake Atitlan (elevation 5400 ft.) is a famous spot for avocados, 

 but from my examination of them I did not think them equal in quality to 

 those of other regions. The soil in this small valley, which opens upon the 

 lake, is clearly alluvial in origin, and like most alluvial soils is excellent. 



Momostenango, northward from Quezaltenango one day's ride, is the 

 highest spot at which avocados were found abundantly. Its elevation is 

 approximately 7500 feet. The situation is a protected one, and probably 

 much warmer than most others of the same elevation. The soil here is a 

 mixture of clay and volcanic tufa, very curious in appearance. 



It has seemed to me, upon comparing the avocado trees grown upon 

 these various types of soil, — sandy loams to heavy clays, — that the largest 

 trees were found on clay soils. Yet there are some good sized trees upon 

 the volcanic loam of Antigua, and I would personally prefer this soil to 

 any other I saw in Guatemala for avocado culture. 



Habit of the Guatemalan Avocado 



In character of growth, the Guatemalan avocado presents two ex- 

 tremes; the broad and spreading type and the tall and strict. There are 

 intermediate stages, of course. In the Alta Verapaz most of the trees in- 

 cline toward the tall and strict type; in Antigua the spreading form is per- 

 haps more common. A notable characteristic of nearly all the trees is the 

 absence of branches close to the ground. In cofFee plantations especially 

 is this conspicuous, the lower limbs being pruned off to prevent their inter- 

 fering with the coffee bushes. The crown is rarely formed closer than 1 

 feet to the ground. 



The Guatemalans do not observe closely the behavior of their avo- 

 cados and rarely are able to give trustworthy accounts concerning the age 

 of the trees, their bearing habits, or similar characteristics. In general, it 

 seems to be the opinion that seedlings come into bearing at the age of six 

 to eight years, which coincides rather closely with the behavior of this race 

 in California. The bearing life of the tree is not definitely known, but it 

 would seem to be at least 50 years, and in many instances considerably 

 more. Some of the growers affirm that a tree does not produce its best 

 fruit until 25 or 30 years old. 



Culture 



So little cultural attention is given avocados in Guatemala that it is 

 scarcely necessary to touch on this subject. Experience obtained in Cali- 

 fornia and Florida is a better guide than the observed practices of the 

 Guatemalans, because the latter make no systematic effort to meet the 

 tree's cultural requirements. The method followed in cultivating coffee 

 plantations in Antigua has been recommended for avocados in California, 

 but I do not know what success will result from its application. It con- 



