136 



Pomona College Journal of Economic Botany 



Progress in Florida 



Along both the lines of propagation and commercial planting Florida has so 

 far been in the lead of California. The proximity of Cuba, where the avocado, 

 or aguacate as it is called in all Spanish speaking countries, is commonly grown, 

 and the fact that seedlings had been planted quite freely along the east coast in 

 the earlier days, must have led horticulturists there to see the possibilities of this 

 fruit, and have acted as a stimulus to the development of the industry. When, in 

 1901, it was successfully demonstrated that the avocado could be propagated by 

 budding, considerable attention was at once directed to this fruit as a commercial 

 possibility, and since then the progress of the industry has been steady. 



Figure 58. Young avocado trees growing in nursery rows at Altadena, California, 

 one year old and ready for budding. 



One of the most important of the earlier commercial plantations, and in fact 

 the first plantation of any extent, was that of Mr. S. B. Bliss of Miami. His 

 orchard consists of twenty acres of the Trapp variety, planted six years ago, and 

 now in bearing. The first crop of marketable fruit was produced last year, and 

 though a heavy yield could not be expected from trees so young, the returns were 

 satisfactory. Mr. Bliss is an experienced and careful grower, and has given in- 

 telligent consideration to the avocado as a commercial proposition both in Florida 

 and in Southern California, and has great confidence in its extensive development. 



