12 



THE AVOCADO IN FLORIDA. 



fig'ures of the branches, including the leaA^es and inflorescence, are 

 iindouhtedly the West Indian-South American form. The size of the 

 fruit is that of the West Indian-South American form, while the color 

 of the skin is exactly that of the Mexican avocado. This publication 

 also suggests that ^'it is increased ])y cuttings, treated in the usual 

 mann.cr.-' So far as the writer's ex})erience goes, the cuttings are diffi- 

 cult to strike without l)ottom heat. 



In the Yearl)oolv of the Ignited States Department of Agriculture 

 for 1901, page 354:, Mr. O. F. Cook refers to the avocado as one of the 

 important fruits of Porto Rico, and sa3^s: 



The alligator pear, also called hutter pear, aguacate, and avocate, is a tropical fruit 

 now relatively little known, l)ut with every prospect of a gradually increasing 

 popularity. It is a pear only in shaj^e, and might ])etter be compared to the olive, 

 because it serves as a salad or a relish rather than a fruit in the ordinary sense, and 

 frequently becomes a favorite, even with those who do not like it at first. The flesh 

 has a delicate buttery consistency, and is eaten with vinegar, salt, and other condi- 

 ments, or is used as an ingredient of other salad compounds. The promise of agri- 

 cultural and commercial importance for this fruit lies in the fact that it already has 

 a distinct, if limited, place in the markets of our larger cities at from 30 to 60 cents 

 apiece, prices which might be halved or quartered and still leave good profits for 

 both grower and dealer. ]Moreover, even at these large i^rices the sui3ply of first- 

 class fruit seems to be unequal to the demand. 



The alligator pear is perha2;)S the one fruit wlhch Porto Rico is ready to send to 

 market in considerable quantity and of prime quality. The tree is easily propa- 

 gated from seed, is a vigorous grower, and a free bearer, and there is no apparent 

 reason why the alligator pear may not become almost as cheap and nearly as poi)u- 

 lar as the orange. 



In the Report of the Florida State Horticultural Societ}^ for 1902, 

 Mr. Boggs sa3's: 



Of equal x)i'omise and of greater present market importance is tlie avocado pear, 

 whicli is to-day the most costly fruit on the American inarket, and is making more 

 frieiids every season. The importance of budding and grafting as ap])lied to this 

 fruit is greater tlian the securing of l)etter varieties from al)road, for Florida now 

 produces the l)est in tlie world, but in eliminating the inferior sorts which form a 

 large i)roi)ortion of seedling oi-ehards and in regulating by selection the season of 

 fruitage. There are now tr.>es in Dade County which ripen fruit as early as July 15 

 and others as late as Jannary 15. The siti'nilieance of this fact needs no comment. 



Choice avocados i-etailed last season at from ;J5 cents to 75 cents each in the cities, 

 and the demand seems to (.ntgrow the sni»i)ly. It is urged that this society, in its 

 catalogue, should enconiage the use- of the name avocado, both on the score of cor- 

 rectness and of euphony, in place of the absurd misnomer " alligator pear," which 

 leads to many mistakes. 



Mr. W. A. Marsh also makes reference to this fruit in the Report 

 of tlu^ Florida State Ilorticultural Society for 181>6, as follows: 



Tiie alligator or avocado pear {Permi r/rafissima) is one of the most highly prized 

 of all troi)ical fruits. It ])elongs to the order of Lauracefe. The fruit is sometimes 

 round, also pear-shaped, containing one large seed about the size and shape of a 

 hulled waliHit. The fruit when matuie varies in color from a bright green to a deep 

 rich brown, sc^metimes mottled with both colors. Its fiesii is a vegetable inarrow, 



