* 



December, 1908.] 



521 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



THE A VOCADO PEAR (PERSE A 

 GRA TISSIMA). 

 {Illustrated.) 



By H. P. Macmillan. 



This excellent fruit is of comparatively 

 recent introduction in the Eastern Tro- 

 pics. It is a native of Tropical America, 

 extending: from Mexico to Peru. The 

 date of its first importation to Ceylon 

 is not known, but it is probable that 

 this took place about the end of the 

 Eighteenth, or very early in the Nine- 

 teenth, Century. The first record of its 

 cultivation in India has been given as 

 1860, but it was probably introduced 

 there before that date. The Avocado 

 Pear is now widely distributed and 

 cultivated in all tropical countries. Pos- 

 sessing a remarkable adaptability to 

 a variety of climatic conditions, it 

 th rives in Florida, Madeira, Azores, 

 Queensland and Natal, as well as in 

 Ceylon, Hawaii, Malaya, Madagascar, 

 etc. In Ceylon it is best suited to 

 medium elevations, as from 1,000 to 2,000 

 feet, though it will also grow and fruit 

 well at lower elevations, provided the 

 rainfall is not much below 60 inches. In 

 Southern India it flourishes up to about 

 4,500 feet, but in its native habitat it is 

 said to attain "its greatest perfection 

 at 2,000 to 3,000 feet in the sheltered 

 valleys of the Coast Ranges." 



The tree is of a bushy habit, grows to 

 a height of 25 to 40 feet or more, and 

 prefers well-drained and deep friable 

 soil. As with most tropical plants, how- 

 ever, climate has probably a greater 

 influence than soil ; and, judging by the 

 conditions which obtain in the native 

 home of the "Avocado," it may be 

 granted that a rather decided alterna- 

 tion of wet and dry seasons is in its 

 fa vour. 



The Avocado Pear ranks high amongst 

 tropical fruits, and deserves to be more 

 widely known and cultivated than it is. 

 It is a salad, rather than a dessert fruit ; 

 yet it has qualities which seldom fail 

 to be relished by the novice, whilst 

 persons who become accustomed to it 

 usually develop a special fondness for 

 it. The fruit is shaped like a large pear, 

 though varying somewhat in form 

 according to variety ; its smooth thin 

 skin remains green when ripe, like many 

 other fruits of equatorial regions. The 

 centre is hollow, and contains a large 

 round fleshy seed- Between this and 

 06 



the thin skin is a thick layer of pulp 

 (pericarp), which is of the consistency 

 of firm butter, and usually quite free of 

 any traces of fibre or grittiness. When 

 cut round the middle and the two halves 

 separated, the seed will readily drop 

 out. The pulp, which may be scooped 

 out with a spoon, is very palatable when 

 flavoured with salt and pepper, or 

 with Worcester sauce. Some people 

 flavour it with port wine. It is said 

 that in its native country the fruit is 

 eaten by the poor people as a substitute 

 for butter, being commonly known by 

 the name " Soldier's Butter." It is also 

 served in other ways. A lady in Hawaii 

 writes: " We serve the avocado pears 

 here in different Avays. We cut them 

 in two and serve them with soup, and 

 we eat them with plain salt and pepper. 

 If they are not particularly good, we 

 cut them into dice, and serve like an 

 oyster cocktail. But the best way is to 

 put the pear through a vegetable press, 

 then turn and scoop out ripe tomatoes 

 and stuff them with this pear puree. 

 Garnish these with rings of hard-boiled 

 egg, and serve with lettuce and mayon- 

 naise." 



The fruit does not keep well aud is 

 very liable to injury by bruising, so 

 that it is difficult of transport. Fallen 

 fruits are usually so much damaged by 

 being bruised that only a portion of 

 them can be eaten. Therefore they 

 should be picked by hand when ripe 

 enough and placed gently in a sack or 

 basket. They should not be pulled, but 

 clipped so as to leave a portion of the 

 stalk attached to the fruit. 



The avocado pear is especially esteem- 

 ed in America, where it is imported from 

 the West Indies, Porto Rico, Southern 

 Florida, &c. It is said that fruit-dealers 

 in New York aud other large towns of 

 the United States sometimes pay half a 

 dollar each for the fruit. Its cultivation 

 has thus naturally developed somewhat 

 extensively of late years in Tropical 

 America and the West Iudies, and pro- 

 mises to be to some extent a remuner- 

 ative industry. Trial shipments of the 

 fruit have recently been made from 

 Hawaii to New York with hopeful 

 results. The tree is readily propagated 

 from seed, which are large aud fleshy 

 and soon lose their power of germin- 

 ation. 



The fruit is also known as Alligator 

 Pear. The Sinhalese call it"Et-pera," 

 and the Tamils " Anakoya-palam." 



