October, 1911.] 



517 



Edible Products. 



develop and form the head of the tree, 

 and all weak and undesirable growths 

 cut out each year. The top should 

 be kept cut back to facilitate picking 

 the fruit, and not allowed to grow to 

 an unlimited height as has been done 

 with all the seedlings grown here. 



Transplanting should be done in early- 

 spring before the trees have started 

 into new growth. 



During the first year or twc of its 

 growth, the tree is more tender than 

 when larger, and in locations subject 

 to heavy frosts should be protected 

 during the winter by some covering. 

 Palm leaves are used for this purpose 

 if they can be obtained in sufficient 

 quantities, or a frame can be construct- 

 ed of lath and covered with burlap or 

 cheese-cloth. The danger from frost, 

 however, lies not so much in the possi- 

 bility of iDjury to the trees themselves, 

 as in the destruction of the crop through 

 freezing of blossoms of early flowering 

 varieties. To avoid this, late blooming 

 varieties may be planted, such as those 

 of the Guatemalan type, which bloom so 

 late in the spring as practically to eli- 

 minate danger from this source. It is 

 only occasionally that the Mexican 

 varieties are caught, but as the crop is 

 practically certain to be lost, if a very 

 heavy frost occurs during the blooming 

 season, the only safe way will be to plant 

 late blooming varieties. 



The tree requires about the same irri- 

 gation as the orange. Insufficient irri- 

 gation will result in small fruit. 



In selecting varieties for planting on 

 a commercial scale, there are a number 

 of points which should be kept in mind. 

 Fruits which ripen during midwinter 

 will command the highest prices in the 

 markets, and there will probably be the 

 greatest demand for avocados at this 

 season of the year. As to size of fruit, 

 there is no advantage in having the very 

 largest. While a two pound avocado is 

 a regal fruit, for practical purposes one 

 of half that size is better. Quality 

 should be one of the most important 

 factors in choosing a commercial fruit, 

 and other desirable points are prolific- 

 ness, a smooth thick and heavy skin 

 which will stand shipment, good keep- 

 ing qualities, and a small seed, com- 

 pletely filling tHe cavity, as a loose seed 

 pounds the walls in transit, causing 

 early decay. We must, however, have 

 still smaller varieties for cheaper trade, 



and summer varieties for local consump- 

 tion, and we already have a good assort- 

 ment of varieties to choose from for 

 these purposes. 



The Future of the Avocado in 

 Southern California. 

 It may seem a strong statement to say 

 that within the next quarter of a 

 century the avocado will rank with the 

 orange as a commercial fruit in Southern 

 California. But there is a strong foun- 

 dation of fact underlying this statement, 

 and the reasons seem sufficient indeed 

 to warrant the belief that it may become 

 even more important. 



First, the adaptability of the avocado 

 to this climate has been proved beyond 

 the possibility of a doubt. There are 

 one hundred or more trees now in bear- 

 ing, ranging in age from three to twenty- 

 five years, scattered over the southern 

 end of the State from the cool sea coast 

 to the hot and dry interior. These trees 

 embrace a number of widely different 

 types, sizes and characters of fruits. 

 This test of adaptability ought to be 

 sufficient to satisfy the most sceptical. 



Second, the food value of the fruit is 

 the main basis for the above statement. 

 It presents in a most easily digested and 

 assimilated form as high as 12 to 18% of 

 fat, which places the fruit in a class 

 with the staple food products, instead 

 of being a mere luxury as is the case 

 with many fruits. The taste for the 

 avocado is not always acquired upon 

 first trial, but a few repetitions are 

 usually sufficient to make any one ex- 

 tremely fond of it. The price is now 

 prohibitive to most, and only a few 

 have had opportunity to acquire the 

 taste, but as the production becomes 

 greater and the price lower, an almost 

 unlimited demand will be created 

 throughout the whole country. It is, 

 of course, universally known as one of 

 the most important staple fruits 

 throughout the tropics and sub-tropics 

 of the world. 



Culture of the fruit in this country 

 will be restricted to limited areas in 

 Florida and Southern California, and 

 consequently the danger of overproduc- 

 tion will be practically eliminated. As 

 rapidly as price and production permit, 

 the avocado will become an important 

 and indispensable part of the daily food 

 of the majority of the people of the 

 United States. 



