Edible Products. 



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returns. The element of time is of so much importance that, if possible, all 

 methods should be tried simultaneously. Rolfs states that a seedless avocado 

 has been discovered in Florida, but does not say whether the fruit is otherwise 

 desirable or not. 



Texture.— The fine, creamy texture of the avocado plays an important 

 part in winning admirers of this fruit. If free from fibre, the texture is usually 

 not unlike that of very soft cheese. Lack of uniformity is the greatest danger, 

 for if the flesh is uniform and free from fibre it leaves little to be desired, 

 The manner in which the fruit is ripened probably has more to do with the 

 uniformity and nature of the texture than dees the variety, Pooily formed 

 fruit, or fruit that has been picked too green, will often have the flesh soft and 

 discolored in some places, usually near the skin, while the remainder is hard 

 and unripe. Careless packing, so that the fruit is subjected to pressure at some 

 point, will also bring about this undesirable condition. For shipping, the fruit 

 must, of cotirse, be picked green, and to insure uniformity in ripening it must 

 be packed with the greatest care. 



Flavour.— So far as observed, the most delicious and highly-flavoured 

 avocados are some of the small, thick-skinned, and thin-fleshed forms of southern 

 Mexico and Central America. The advantage, however, is slight, there being 

 much more uniformity in the flavour of the different forms of the avocado than 

 in most fruits. A really poor or disagreeable flavour has never been noted, 

 except, perhaps, in cases where the fruit ripened unevenly, and then it is usually 

 due to the part eaten being either green or overripe. Improvement in this 

 character might slowly be brouerht about by selection, or perhaps by crossing 

 with some of the small and more highly-flavoured forms. 



Yield.— Avocados have been subjected to careful cultivation for such a 

 short time that little is known concerning the conditions that influence yield. 

 As with most tropical plants, climate has probably a greater influence than soil, 

 and judging from the fact that in nature the trees frequently drop their leaves 

 before the fruit matures, it may be expected that a rather decided alternation 

 of wet and dry seasons is an essential. In Hawaii it appears that several fruits in 

 the same cluster mature. This has never been observed in Central America or the 

 West Indies, where large numbers of the fruits set, but all but one of each cluster 

 drop while still young. If commercial fertilisers are applied, it would seem 

 that the proper time is immediately after the young fruits have set. 



Size.— The largest avocados that have come to our immediate notice are 

 those in Porto Rico. Travellers in Colombia, however, report much larger fruit, 

 and both Hawaii and Florida probably produce fruit as large or larger than 

 any in Porto Rico. Large size in the avocado is not such a prime essential as 

 with many fruits. Even a medium-sized fruit is usually large enough for two 

 people, and large samples might w ith a certain class of buyers be less desirable. 

 Of course, this should not be taken to mean that a tree that bears large 

 fruit is less desirable than one that bears small fruit, but only that it 

 might not be well to go to much trouble or expense to secure varieties that 

 excel only in size. With improved cultivation the size of the fruit will doubt- 

 less be increased to some extent without the introduction of new T forms. 



Resistence to Cold.— An avocado able to withstand slight frosts would 

 place the industry in Florida, and California on a much more secure footing. 

 Forms having this quality are likely to be found in the highlands of Central 

 America and Mexico. A form from Monterey that withstands light frosts has 

 already been introduced into California and Florida. With this form the blossoming 

 season is so early that in California the cold weather frequently destroys the 



